Launch of the Baseline Study of Domestic and Gender Based Violence in three Kosovo Municipalities Dragash/Dragas, Gjakove/Dakovica and Gjilan/Gnjilane and the Policy Options Paper

PRISHTINA/PRISTINA, 13 February 2014, UNICEF Kosovo, as part of the Joint UN Programme on Domestic Violence 2010-2013, is launching the study of Domestic and Gender Based Violence in three Kosovo Municipalities Dragash/Dragas, Gjakove/Dakovica and Gjilan/Gnjilane. Policy options paper is also being launched, which proposes 9 lines of interventions to be considered by municipalities and central institutions alike. The Joint UN Programme, consisting of OHCHR, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN WOMEN and funded and supported by the Government of Finland, supports the implementation of the National Action Plan and Strategy against Domestic Violence (NAPSDV) in the three municipalities.

The UN Joint programme on Gender based Violence has four main objectives: 1) To raise awareness on domestic violence and enhance access to services for survivors of domestic violence in pilot communities; 2) To strengthen the formal/informal service chain of DV prevention, protection and reintegration services through catalytic interventions in pilot municipalities; 3) To enhance the economic independence of (potential) survivors of domestic violence and provide counseling for families and perpetrators; and 4) To disseminate program results, capitalizing on lessons learned for scaling-up in other municipalities.

The purpose of this baseline study is to help the three pilot municipalities establish a baseline against which to track changes with regard to DV/GBV, which can be used to 1) help with making relevant adjustments in programming strategies and interventions; and 2) inform other municipalities wanting to institute their own DV/GBV programmes.

The key findings of the study indicate that: DV/GBV is prevalent throughout all three municipalities, with 1) physical violence being the most frequent type of violence experienced by women and children, especially children at 50%; 2) followed by psychological violence women (5.9 percent) and children (14.8 percent) and 3) sexual violence (women (2.7 per cent) and children (1 per cent). Furthermore, social norms were found to be a most significant barrier to ending DV/GBV with attitudes that ‘tolerate’ violence against women and adolescent girls – both significant proportions of men and women and adolescent boys and girls indicated that “there are times when women deserve to be beaten’.

As a response to the findings of the report, UNICEF together with OHCHR, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN WOMEN will focus on strengthening responsiveness of municipal key services related to domestic violence in four key intervention areas: Prevention, Protection, Reintegration and Scaling-up.

Furthermore with the development of the policy options paper UNICEF Kosovo will continue to advocate for the inclusion of the proposed interventions in the new National Action Plan and Strategy against Domestic Violence to be developed as a way to promote and nurture dialogue among stakeholders on how to comprehensively and strategically strengthen DV/GBV responses from local to national levels. The aim is to develop and implement sustainable solutions at scale to reduce and end DV/GBV – this includes taking into account and engaging stakeholders across the diverse contexts of Kosovo. UNICEF is committed to supporting Kosovo’s institutions in strengthening their action plans to end DV/GBV.