Intoduction
Domestic violence is a social problem that knows no boundaries, affecting all cultures and societies worldwide, Kosovo included. This global challenge represents a severe violation of human rights, threatening societal development and peace. Statistics reveal that, worldwide, one in three women faces sexual or physical violence in their lifetime.
Moreover, according to a survey conducted in 2019 by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Kosovo, 54% of women surveyed suffered psychological, physical, or sexual violence, by an intimate partner, after the age of 15. Another survey conducted by the Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN) in 2015, found that 68% of women, and 57% of men had been a victim of domestic violence at least once in their lifetimes. As such, domestic violence is a widespread violation of fundamental human rights and freedoms, conflicting an alerting number of the population.
The Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS), with the support of the European Union, conducts the “JUST REACT” project, through which it regularly monitors the operations of the judicial and prosecutorial system, focusing primarily on the analysis of how law enforcement institutions handle cases of domestic violence. On the framework of this project, GLPS has published this periodic analysis, which tackles the institutional response to domestic violence, within a one-year period (from July 1, 2022, to June 30, 2023).
This report’s objective is to present and analyze data from some of the key institutions dealing with domestic violence: the police, prosecution, and the courts, in three respective chapters.
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