Domestic violence is a persistent problem in the Kosovo society and only in 2014, 1,200 such cases have been recorded and women were victims in all of them. Kosovo Police (KP) officials said the exact figures of the domestic violence cases are not known because many cases are not reported at all. Tahire Haxholli from the KP’s domestic violence unit told Radio Free Europe that the number of reported cases has increased. She said that there were 100 more cases of domestic violence reported in 2014 than the previous year and she attributed this to the increase of awareness. Haxholli said that in 2003, the Kosovo Police set up a special structure to deal with these kinds of crimes.
Representatives of associations for protection of victims say that women who experience physical and psychological violence do not enjoy adequate protection. Jubile Kabashi from the centre for shelter of women and children in Prizren said reintegration of victims of domestic violence remains a concerning phenomenon. She said the centre she works for tries to assist the victims in acquiring skills needed to join the workforce but stressed that many employers hesitate to hire these women.
