Voices from the LGBT community in Kosovo: Facing Challenges, Rejecting, Violence

So begins his confession to REL, a young man from Pristina who is a member of the homosexual community. He says he left his family seven years ago when he was 19, since his parents refused to admit him to be homosexual.

“Family rejection of my sexual orientation and identity... although they have been informed by me myself years ago, it still continues”, he says.

It's the heavy burden that I and many others like me are forced to hold continuous psychological sessions, to process emotions and thoughts, which are negatively affected by people who are supposed to be the biggest children's supporters”, says this citizen, not wanting to identify.

In addition to being rejected by family members, those belonging to this community in Kosovo report violence from them.

Since the pandemic outbreak, in March 2020, cases of violence have increased even more, says Lendi Mustafa, from the Organisation for Equality and Freedom “CEL Kosova”, which deals with the human rights issue.

This, according to him, has occurred after measures to curb pandemics have forced citizens to close down in their homes.

There's physical violence that can barely change. That's more common in transgiar women. Most of the cases we've admitted late, have been 16-17 and have had the impossible to deal with the” situation, Mustafa says.

Family violence treatment, including cases of violence against those in the LGBT community, including lesbians, homosexuals, bisexuals and transplants, has increased greatly in the past two years.

According to Kosovo Police data, 1,915 cases of domestic violence were reported in 2019, while in 2020 this number increased to 2,069 and in 2021 to 2,409.

All the cases that came to us, we put them in the police force. At least those who have benefited from the services we have provided. There have been few few cases that they have not wanted to report the case to police”, Mustafa says.

In the report released on January 13th, the Human Rights Watch human rights organisation, headquartered in the US, has cited the organisation's concern “CEL Kosova” for unequivocal investigations of threats and hate speech against persons and LGBS community activists, especially in social networks.

In July [2021], CEL has reported that an LGBT activist in Pristina has been attacked by three unknowns who spit on him, saying: We'll kill you, say HRW report.

Similar concerns for this community, Human Rights Watch, have been raised in reports of past years.

Negligence From Righteousness

Asked by Radio Free Europe in connection with the investigation into this violence, the Kosovo Prosecutorial Council says the <x0-second cases of domestic violence, such as. The LGBT community, it doesn't have it divided into” category.

Kosovo's Institute for Justice (IKD) offers judicial assistance to sensitive society groups, including the LGBT community.

I achieved Rezniqi, from this organisation, says justice institutions often neglect violence.

This well shows the situation we are currently in. Unfortunately, our institutions are not doing enough, and many of the cases are probably ending fatally, as a result of the neglect of these institutions, as a result of their lack of professionalism and their inaction at the right time and moment”, Rezniqi says.

In last year's report, the US State Department has voiced concern for domestic violence in Kosovo, saying it has marked growth.

Sexual violence and violence that occur inside or outside the family were rarely reported by victims, often because of social stigma or lack of trust in authorities”, was said in the UN report.

Prevention of domestic violence, government priority

Seeing the growing trend of domestic violence, the Ministry of Justice in Kosovo say they are working on preventing this phenomenon.

Nita Shala, deputy minister at this ministry and at the same time national co-ordinators for preventing domestic violence, tells Radio Free Europe that they have drafted the national strategy for protection against domestic violence and that it is expected to be approved soon by the Kosovo government.

According to Shala, prevention and addressing domestic violence is a governmental priority, as well as gender-based violence and violence against women specifically.

“We are aiming to improve the situation in dealing with domestic violence cases, since the moment of the case reporting, the way the prosecution prosecutes a case of domestic violence, court decision-making, treatment that gets victims in shelters or social workers”, says Shala.

The ombudsman in Kosovo, in last year's Human Rights report, has estimated that LGBT persons in Kosovo “still live in fear of expressing their sexual orientation, due to the approach of society and homophobic”.

Lendi Mustafa, out of “CEL Kosova”, says this organisation, over the past two years, has helped five LGBS community people, offering them housing and covering their daily expenses.

In Kosovo, the Crenaria Parade has been organised since 2017, and activists constantly demand that same - sex marriage be allowed.

Same-sex marriages in Kosovo allow the Constitution, but not the Kosovo Civil Code and the Family Law.

Article 21 of the European Union's Charter of Basic Rights ʹ the bloc, where Kosovo aims to join ʹ has effectively banned discrimination based on sexual orientation.