Women are not given space to rule

She made these comments at the 15th consecutive Assembly of members of this network, in which about 125 women-led civil society organisations are involved and aimed at achieving gender equality in Kosovo.

Igballe Rugova, executive director of the Kosovo Women's Network, said without the economic empowerment of the two genders, but especially for women there is no economic development.

According to her, women in Kosovo are not offered adequate space starting at the local central government level.

All the time we women's organizations have actually worked out in many cases we've done the job that the government has to do, and we can also empower many women both at the local level and at the central level, but the problem is it's not about women's courage, the problem is it's about space, it's not about space, you see how many electoral fields go to leaders who are men, it's going to be a little bit back to them after the electoral campaign, and few are given space to them during the <x1) debates, she said.

Rugova said that in order to implement gender equality laws in Kosovo, we must first have a government that believes in this equality, then change can occur.

I am hoping that one day we will have a government that does not believe in a Boy which has a legal obligation that we have all laws but we do not have implementation that we do not have a government that believes we do not have a leader who believes in gender equality, so this is what needs to be changed after a Kosovo leader who believes gender equality, and then from the leadership pushing the implementation”, she said.

As for the ombudsman, Hilmi Jashari said the Kosovo Women's Network has positively influenced the role of women and generally human and human rights in Kosovo to be strengthened even more.

He has recommended that the Kosovo Assembly should be more supervised by the government and the acters linked to human rights in order to implement them.

“A huge role has been played by empowering the very network of women and organisations that have worked in this direction and activists who have been extremely helpful in promoting rights and from the prospects of the ombudsman as a problem we see the greater empowerment of the role of the Parliament and parliamentary supervision that would have to be exercised against the government and acts that are tasked to protect women's rights”, he said.

Habit Hajredini from the Office for Good Governance near the Prime Minister's Office said the country's executive has drafted institutional policies and has undertaken concrete plans to have equal treatment for all Kosovo citizens.

He said the government has also approved the package of laws on human rights, which obliges institutions to take action in their implementation dealing with the issue of human rights.

The government has also approved a package of human rights laws such as the Law for the Ombudsman, the law for gender equality, and the law for protection from discrimination, this package of laws imposes institutions to take action in their implementation that concerns the human rights issue, and in particular what has to do with gender equality, it means special policy, concrete actions in promotion of respect and in terms of non-compliance in the general”, he said.

Hajredin had good words for “The Kosovo Women's Framework”, considering it the most powerful network in the Balkans that helped the work of the country's institutions in drafting policies, laws, documents for gender equality in Kosovo.

Priority for 2018 Hajredin has also considered the government's co-operation with “Women's” project with the aim of mobilising society in all areas of Kosovo for empowering women in all aspects and preventing their abuse.

The RGK's mission is to protect and promote the rights and interests of women and girls throughout Kosovo, regardless of their political, religious, ethnic, age, education level, sexual orientation and capacity.

The Kosovo Women's Network has had financial support from UN Oomen, ADA, the EU's Office in Kosovo, Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation, Swiss Contact, Deutsche Geselschaft für Internationale Zusamnarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Heart and Hand Foundation, members of RGK and individual donors.