Are women in Kosova equal, safe and free yet?. Cornelia Maier

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      Introduction

      Foreword by Ambassador Teuta Sahatqija Can we say that women around the world have equal rights; they are free or even safe? There are places in the world where women are better represented in Parliaments, where women are Presidents of states, Prime Ministers, and Ministers; countries where there are a high percentage of women that own real estate, businesses, or have a satisfactory income. Unfortunately however, in the majority of cases, women’s position is not favorable across the world.

      In most cases, there are very few women in leading positions, they are underrepresented in Parliaments and Governments, they are less paid than men, and they have much lower ownership of properties and businesses. Women are often main protagonists of grim news as victims of violence, be it domestic, social or as objects of sexual abuse during wars.

      Women in Kosova are not different from their sisters around the world. Despite the context, they have achieved remarkable results in legislation and otherwise. President Atifete Jahjaga was the first woman in the entire region of the Balkans to be a head of state. Women within the Parliament as well as Municipal Assemblies make up more than 30% of the representatives. The Constitution and Legislation of Kosova are very modern and do not discriminate against women. On the other side however, women’s representation in leading positions is still far from being satisfactory whereas domestic and gender based violence are still at a vulnerable level.

      Ms. Cornelia Maier is a feminist, a fighter for gender equality and a champion of women’s empowerment. She has a vast knowledge about the legislation, the Constitution and the legal possibilities that exist de jure in Kosova. She is also a realist and is objectively aware of the real situation on the ground, the statistics, obstacles and the de-facto situation that Kosovar society faces in everyday life.

      Domestic violence is a subject that Cornelia is very passionate about. Dr. Maier significantly contributed to the amendment of the Law against domestic violence while she was working with the Gender Equality Agency of the Republic of Kosova and she is still very well connected to the Kosovar gender equality ecosystem, Civil Society organizations, Parliament, the Women’s Cross- Party Caucus, and all other stakeholders in this field.

      In this document, she attempts at identifying the root causes responsible for this situation, exploring patriarchal society, lack of education, lack of economic independence or lack of self-esteem among women. While articulating the potential causes, she also lists recommendations and possible solutions.

      Throughout this document, she emphasizes that it is not sufficient to just work with the immediate victims of domestic violence – it is imperative that the work is also focused on prevention and continuous assistance for survivors of domestic violence such that they progressively achieve economic independence and have opportunities so as not to return and live with their perpetrators under the same roof.

      Dr. Maier describes the situation, setting the context through statements of many authors and public figures of Kosovar society, analyzing the sources of violence, society and its mentality, and the struggle of modern forces to change it and put an end to gender based violence. She interlinks the economic well-being of Kosovar Women with the level of domestic violence. Women who are economically independent are less prone to be victims of domestic violence. In many cases Kosovar society treats domestic violence as an internal family issue, giving the right to the husband to exert violence while at the same time blaming women for causing the violence.

      This document holistically covers the efforts of feminists from the time of the oppression against Kosovar Albanians under the occupation of Milosevic’s regime, continuing through the war, the post-war period, the period Kosova was recovering from the wounds of war, rebuilding not only its infrastructure but building a new modern society. She heftily backs her story with documents, testimonials, and her personal experience working in legislation.

      Ms. Maier speaks to the efforts to fight domestic violence, documenting the statements of various women activists, like Flora Brovina, a former prisoner of Serbia, and her work on women’s empowerment, continuing with activists such as myself, Vjosa Dobruna, Natasha Kandic, Sonja Biserko, Shehrije, Atifete Jahjaga, Feride Rushiti and many others.

      Dr. Maier highlights many organizations, such as Kosova Women’s Network, Medica Mondiale, Medica Gjakova, all of which left a significant mark in Kosova’s journey towards women’s empowerment. Beyond that, the booklet delineates recommendations of the Women Cross-Party Caucus on preventing gender based violence and mechanisms for continuous and sustained work with survivors.

      In a masterful way, Ms. Maier weaves the story of the building blocks and mechanisms that together make the system on fighting gender based and domestic violence.

      Among the many stakeholders she interviews, Dr. Maier also highlights the discussions with Tahire Haxholli from Kosova’s Police describing her insights from the police’s perspective on dealing with immediate victims and perpetrators. As Kosova Women’s Network research shows, there is an alarming situation of domestic and gender based violence against women in Kosova whereby the more disquieting issue is that such violence is the least reported kind - giving perpetrators an open field for unpunished, unremitting abuse. Women’s unfavorable economic situation and lack of socio-economic prosperity are barriers that prevent them from breaking out of the cycle of violence.

      Cornelia Maier’s book “Are women in Kosova equal, safe and free yet?” is definitely a valuable source of information about the actual situation, the analysis of historical and societal ties, and patriarchal mentality. Dr. Maier weaves a complete story, inclusive of stories of ex political prisoners, women activists during the occupation, those in modern institutions, the work of women organizations, and the achievements in the Constitution, such as CEDAW, quota in Parliament, Law on Gender Equality and many others.

      Reading this book, you are taken through different stories in multiple dimensions, all of which complement each other and paint a clearer picture of the unique Kosova Story.

      Congratulations to Dr. Maier on her valuable work and I look forward to more books in the future.