Group for Gender Equality: Full investigation into Sebahate Morina's murder

The Youth Security and Equality Group has strongly condemned Sebahate Sopi's murder that took place on Sunday, March 14th in Pristina, and expressed concern over the number of lives lost by women from partners or from their former partners, and calls on relevant institutions to take effective measures in preventing gender-based violence and ensuring effective protection of victims.

GSBR through a media communique stresses that violence against women, including domestic violence, is one of the most serious human rights violations.

According to Law No. 03L-182 for Family Violence Protection, Article 24 paragraphs 1, Kosovo Police must respond to any report concerning the actions or threats of domestic violence. The law further says that Kosovo's “Police must use reasonable means to protect the victim and prevent further violence”, as well as define measures to be taken in such cases. It has been six months since the frameworks of the Council of Europe Convention for Prevention and Combating Violence on Women and Violence in the Family (The Convention of Istanbul) in the Constitution of Kosovo, and now it is time to advance its implementation, as well as to take concrete action to prevent violence against women and girls, protect the victims and prosecute perpetrators. Institutions must take responsibility for their vows. In this regard, Article 50 of the Istanbul Convention (immediate response, prevention and protection) stipulates: “effective measures must be taken to prevent more visible forms of violence, which are murder or attempted murder. Each such case should be carefully analysed to identify any possible failure of protection in terms of improving and developing further preventive measures. ” Family violence is a crime, as mentioned in Article 248 of the Kosovo Criminal Code and sentenced to fine and imprisonment. Violence against women is the result of structural, deeply rooted discrimination, and that institutions are obliged to address. Prevention and addressing gender-based violence is the legal and moral obligation requiring legislative, administrative measures, as well as measures and institutional reforms. These require the removal of gender stereotypes, which support or perpetuate gender-based violence against women and support the structural inequality of women compared to men”, the communique says.

The Group for Gender Security and Equality (GSBGJ) encourages Kosovo institutions to investigate the entire death of Sebahate Sopi, as well as the circumstances that led to its death.

To ensure that women are effectively protected in the future, GSBR members call on institutions that cases of domestic violence be handled with high priority, guarantee justice for victims, initiated programmes for perpetrators, aimed at changing and improving violent behaviors. Violence against women and children is unacceptable and violent men are responsible for using violence. The COVID-19 Pandemia has highlighted the epidemic shadow of violence against women worldwide. Kosovo institutions must take urgent steps to prevent the murder of women and gender-based violence in Kosovo. The Youth Security and Equality Group expresses heartfelt condolences for the victim's family and friends, said the communique.

The Gender Security and Equality Group (GSBGJ) is a composite group of many sides of interest, led by UN Fomen. The following institutions are members of the GSBR and support this public statement:

International Organization and Embassys: UN Kosovo Team (UNKT) including the United Nations Development Co-ordinator's Office, United Nations Nations Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Emposerment of Romania ( UN mean, International Organization for Migration (IOM), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Human Development Programmes ( UN-Habiat, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (ËHO), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); UN Mission in Kosovo UNMIK; EULEX; German Embassy/ GIZ; American Embassy; Embassy of Finland; EU Office in Kosovo; OSCE.

Women's organisations and NGOs: Kvinna till Kvinna, Kosova Humen 4 Women, Kosovar Centre for Gender Studies; Kosovo Women's Network; I NJECT, Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR); Jahjaga Foundation; CEL, Kosovar institutions: Agency for Gender Equality; Kosovo police.