Victims of violence find no long-term housing in the state

With one of the victims of domestic violence spoken to by Radio Free Europe, but who has not wanted to be identified, it shows that after six months, staying in a shelter, unable to find another better solution, he had to return to his husband, who had exercised violence against her before going to shelter.

As unemployed and economically dependent, she says, she has returned home in the hope that the physical and psychic violence she had experienced will not be repeated.

In Kosovo, ten shelters work for victims of domestic violence and gender-based violence, victims of human trafficking and abused children, abused, neglected and without family attention.

These shelters, for which the state shares funds, operate within local non-governmental organisations and provide services such as housing, rehabilitation and reintegration.

Based on data from the Centres for Social Work and housing in Kosovo, during January-September 2020, housing services have benefited 319 victims of domestic violence, of 184 women and 135 children.

The financial amount that the Ministry of Labour and Social Management (MPMS) has earmarked for the ten shelters in 2020 is 495,000 euros, the ministry sent to Radio Free Europe reportedly.

The financial support provided for these shelters, according to MPMS, changes over the years and is based on the needs they have to implement their programmes for protection, housing, rehabilitation and reintegration of victims.

“The shelters within them have housing and rehabilitation programs that consist of providing services such as food insurance, personal sanitation, medical medicine insurance and activities that connect with rehabilitation for victims of violence within <x1) housing, the response of the Ministry of Labour and Social Health says.

But that support is insufficient.

Mirlinda Sada, director of the Medika Centre in Gjakova, the centre that houses victims of domestic violence, calls on Kosovo institutions to be helped more financially, as the number of domestic violence victims has marked growth, or, as she says, women are conscious and are presenting violence when it is exercised to them.

The need for financial assistance is huge. Our state, our institutions must do more on this issue”, she says.

Sada confirms that returning home where they experienced violence is one of the solutions some of these victims make.

In cases where the victim of domestic violence stands longer than the previous six-month period, then if a solution for the victim of violence has not been found is delayed by the deadline of staying in shelter until finding a solution for that victim. It is not left on the road and is not expelled from the shelter until a solution was found and its situation --”, Sada says.

According to the Kosovo Police, from the beginning of this year until August, over 1,338 cases of violence against women have been filed, of which four cases have ended in death.

The number of cases of domestic violence reported in the Kosovo Police has marked growth over the years.

In 2017 the number of domestic violence reported was 1,269, and 1,915 reported in 2019.

The Kosovo Women's Network representing the interests of 151 member organisations, including women's organisations of all ethnic groups in Kosovo, are constantly monitoring cases of domestic violence.

In a written answer by the Kosovo Women's Network, they have reportedly noted that there are times when women forgive their mates and return to them. According to this Network, this is usually done because of family pressure, pressure from institutional officials, serious economic conditions, lack of property, unemployment, and fear of losing child custody.

Women in Kosovo in large numbers continue to be economically dependent and unemployed.

According to Kosovo Statistics Agency data, employment in women is 14.1 percent. Women are employed mainly in the education, trade and health care sectors. /rel/