More than 100 minors, under the age of 16, have been sexually harassed in Kosovo over the past two years, reports RTK2, citing KTV.
Sexual intercourse with a person under the age of 16 is punishable by the Criminal Code, but it does not explicitly mention the term “paedophilia”.
Ismet Salihu, professor of criminal law, who is part of the Working Group working on amendments to the Kosovo Criminal Code, explains why paedophilia is not precisely defined as a criminal offense.
“This is not the case only in our country but in other Criminal codes of the countries in the region. Because if someone has this pathological disorder then this fact is taken as an aggravating circumstance,” says Salihu for KTV.
State Prosecutor Besim Kelmendi says the new Criminal Code, which is expected to take effect in April this year, will include special attitudes related to this crime. He explains that the amendments, in some cases, permit even life sentences for this act.
“We clarified this in all points, because we had cases of crimes that were repeated within the same chapter of the Criminal Code. And now, with the new Criminal Code, we provide protection to victims, and penalties for perpetrators of the criminal offense dependent on the crime committed, and it goes up to the life imprisonment,” Kelmendi said.
Judges, on the other hand, say that lack of the term paedophilia does not limit them to impose maximum fines.
According to police reports, 62 cases of sexual harassment of minors have been reported in the past year. Three cases were reported as sexual stimulation and seven as abuse of children in pornography.
