Isolation from pandemic increases the number of domestic violence cases

According to the Kosovo Police for March and April of this year compared to the same period in 2019, there is an increase in domestic violence cases by 22 percent. To increase the number of cases of domestic violence, says there are also organisations to protect women's network of Kosovo women.

Bajram Krasniqi, from the Kosovo Police Information Office, has told Kosova Preis that within these two months compared to 2019 there is an increase in domestic violence cases by 22 percent.

According to him during March and April, when the country was affected by coronary, the number of domestic violence cases has increased to 362 cases, until March and April last year has reported a total of 262 cases.

Last year's <x0). And there is an increase of 19 percent in these four months 2020 compared with these months of 2019 that is a constant increase that has occurred again and again, even though we have not had the COVID-19 pandemic. Reference to our figures during this year's four-month period compared to the four months of the past year, we have an increase from 521 cases in 2019 to 648 cases for the first four months of this year, or we have a 19 percent increase in percentages. And we know the first cases with COVID-19 at the beginning of March, and if we get the month of full March and April as well as full compared to March and April last year we have had 262 cases of domestic violence, and this year we have 362 cases of domestic violence or 22 percent more cases of domestic violence”, he noted.

The Pristina regime leads by the number of reported cases of domestic violence during the pandemic, followed by Gjakova and Prizren.

In the Kosovo Police all the criminal cases we say most there is the Pristina region because even the number of residents is greater. Even in cases of domestic violence, if we refer to the past few months, we mostly have 63 cases in the Pristina region, followed by the 26-case Gjakova region, Prizren's third region with 25 cases. The other regions are less, for example, the northern Mitrovica region has only two cases and that Ferizaj 7 cases for April”, Krasniqi said.

Even the Kosovo Women's Network says that during the time of pandemic the measures imposed by the Government for house isolation have increased cases of domestic violence.

Co-ordinator against domestic violence at the Kosovo Women's Network, Erza Kurti, says that although the possibility of reporting has diminished, domestic violence has increased.

Police data that even defenders of the victims say it's not a big difference in percentages in normal situations and in pandemics, but we note that people write us or call us on the line of psychologists to show they've experienced domestic violence. We can say that if you can't see the numbers of domestic violence, we still think there's an increase in violence because of isolation because shelters have shown us that not all cases have gone to shelter because abusers have been released with regular procedure”, she says.

According to her, during this period the respective institutions have had to create reliefs for family violence reporting.

It's a very disturbing situation because we know that everyone can experience violence and not just women, but based on our research we know that the most affected are women and children. Thus, the situation in general is quite difficult for women, since most are not at work because they have been dismissed from work because of the pandemic, and men are at home or are working from home or are not working. Closed schools are also another challenge for women, since they have the most caring for their home and family. Living with the bully and having no choice is a real challenge. Pandemia has also raised fears of family violence reporting”, Kurti said.