Real men never hit women, says OSCE Mission in Kosovo’s campaign for 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo launched on 26 November 2014 in Prishtinë/Priština an anti-domestic violence campaign dubbed “Real men never hit women”.

The information campaign supports the efforts of the Victim Advocacy and Protection Office to prevent domestic violence and to motivate the public to report any cases to the Victim Advocates helpline: 0800 11 11 2.

“Domestic violence is a widespread phenomenon in Kosovo, just like in the rest of the world, and unfortunately it is not always easy to identify or remedy because many people consider it an internal family matter. Today, we are saying that domestic violence is not an internal family matter and that it must be prosecuted,” said Neil Tobin, Head of the OSCE Mission Regional Centre Prishtinë/Priština, at the campaign launch.

Tobin further added that, only between January and June 2014, more than 400 domestic violence cases were reported to the Kosovo Police and that many more still remain unreported.

The campaign features two professional fighters from Kosovo: boxer Armend Xhoxhaj and kick-boxer Marko Božović, who have volunteered to be the faces and the key messengers of the campaign as men who use force as part of their job but never against women.

This Kosovo-wide campaign includes TV spots and posters in both Albanian and Serbian languages, and will run for four weeks including the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women.