On May 27, the National Democratic Institute hosted the 2014 HOPE Fellows for a presentation titled, “When Legislation is Not Enough: Addressing Gaps in Implementation of Kosovo’s Laws on Gender Equality.” Speaking directly to the topic of realizing gender equality in Kosovo, the Fellows shed light on four main issue areas: 1) implementing written law: 2) strengthening the rule of law; 3) combating social norms; and 4) producing realistic action plans. Their presentation made it clear that the underlying theme throughout all issue areas is the failure of the top-down approach.
The HOPE Fellowship is a four-week program funded by USAID and overseen by the National Albanian American Council. Strengthening the role of women leaders in the Balkans, this program brings selected Fellows from the Balkans to Washington, DC to promote interaction with their U.S. professional counterparts. While in DC, each Fellow is focused on developing a unique project that will be implemented upon their return to Kosovo.
Kosovo’s constitution is uniquely progressive. Article XXII institutionalizes international human rights conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the European Convention on Human Rights. In the event that these conventions conflict with national law, the conventions prevail. Yet, the HOPE Fellows argue that because Kosovo’s citizens—namely women—do not test the laws meant to protect them, implementation is inevitably weak.
A Parliamentary Monitoring Group on Implementation has recently found that, in spite of gender quotas, there are still issues within Kosovo’s workplace and in local-level leadership. Furthermore, new labor laws requiring companies to pay for 6 months of maternity leave have actually caused female employment numbers to decrease. It seems that private sector companies unwilling to compensate for their absence have begun to hire fewer women.
Although the current President and former Deputy Prime Ministers of Kosovo are women, Fellow Rudina Hasimja contends that this does not address, or even highlight, the problem. While President Jahjaga does help to break taboos, her presidency does not bring attention to women of low socioeconomic status.
“Kosovo’s civil society fails to take in to account the marginalization of women in their private homes,” Hasimja says. Current social programs expect women to attend empowerment and educational workshops outside the home, all the while some Kosovar women must ask permission to leave the house. There is a disconnect between the policies that are put in place and the reality among the people. Overall the Fellows agree that Jahjaga’s presidency has created more of a regional shift than a domestic one, doing more for women’s rights in the region than in Kosovo itself.
In comparison to other sectors in Kosovo, education is an area where women fair well. Education expert Teuta Danuza says 40 percent of employed women are in the educational sector. While the current curriculum for Kosovo’s youth is mechanical—focused on rote memorization—the Ministry of Education is transitioning to an analytical curriculum, teaching students to ask questions and learn through discussion. This educational change, approved in 2011, is being piloted throughout the country. This progress further extends itself to Kosovo’s Civic Education, where the curriculum already addresses gender equality issues in the classroom. Globally, this is an area that is most often absent from educational curriculums.
However, Danuza explains that “even if [women’s rights] is part of the classroom, it’s not part of society.”
Kosovo has made provisions for a truly innovative social fabric: progressive legislation in conjunction with female national leadership and a well-rounded educational framework. But still, norms have not been affected. Fellow Vjosa Beqaj-Krasniqi, Director of Kosovo’s Department of Sectorial Policies at the Ministry of European Integration, explains that uncoordinated action plans may be to blame for stunting effective implementation of policies. Addressing this challenge, the HOPE Fellows emphasize the importance of grassroots movements and engaging with women’s organizations, focusing less on national policies.
2014 HOPE Fellows
- Vjosa Beqaj-Krasniqi, Director, Department of Sectorial Policies, Ministry of European Integration;
- Rudina Hasimja, Program Coordinator, Centre for Research, Documentation, and Publication;
- Majlinda Aliu, Senior Journalist, Radio Television of Kosova;
- Flaka Xhelili, Senior Legal Officer, Department for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Justice.
Photo: United Nations Development Programme in Europe and CIS (cc).
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Bringing HOPE to Women's Empowerment in the Balkans
July 8, 2014
On May 27, the National Democratic Institute hosted the 2014 HOPE Fellows for a presentation titled, “When Legislation is Not Enough: Addressing Gaps in Implementation of Kosovo’s Laws on Gender Equality.” Speaking directly to the topic of realizing gender equality in Kosovo, the Fellows shed light on four main issue areas: 1) implementing written law: 2) strengthening the rule of law; 3) combating social norms; and 4) producing realistic action plans. Their presentation made it clear that the underlying theme throughout all issue areas is the failure of the top-down approach.
The HOPE Fellowship is a four-week program funded by USAID and overseen by the National Albanian American Council. Strengthening the role of women leaders in the Balkans, this program brings selected Fellows from the Balkans to Washington, DC to promote interaction with their U.S. professional counterparts. While in DC, each Fellow is focused on developing a unique project that will be implemented upon their return to Kosovo.
Kosovo’s constitution is uniquely progressive. Article XXII institutionalizes international human rights conventions such as the Convention on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women and the European Convention on Human Rights. In the event that these conventions conflict with national law, the conventions prevail. Yet, the HOPE Fellows argue that because Kosovo’s citizens—namely women—do not test the laws meant to protect them, implementation is inevitably weak.
A Parliamentary Monitoring Group on Implementation has recently found that, in spite of gender quotas, there are still issues within Kosovo’s workplace and in local-level leadership. Furthermore, new labor laws requiring companies to pay for 6 months of maternity leave have actually caused female employment numbers to decrease. It seems that private sector companies unwilling to compensate for their absence have begun to hire fewer women.
Although the current President and former Deputy Prime Ministers of Kosovo are women, Fellow Rudina Hasimja contends that this does not address, or even highlight, the problem. While President Jahjaga does help to break taboos, her presidency does not bring attention to women of low socioeconomic status.
“Kosovo’s civil society fails to take in to account the marginalization of women in their private homes,” Hasimja says. Current social programs expect women to attend empowerment and educational workshops outside the home, all the while some Kosovar women must ask permission to leave the house. There is a disconnect between the policies that are put in place and the reality among the people. Overall the Fellows agree that Jahjaga’s presidency has created more of a regional shift than a domestic one, doing more for women’s rights in the region than in Kosovo itself.
In comparison to other sectors in Kosovo, education is an area where women fair well. Education expert Teuta Danuza says 40 percent of employed women are in the educational sector. While the current curriculum for Kosovo’s youth is mechanical—focused on rote memorization—the Ministry of Education is transitioning to an analytical curriculum, teaching students to ask questions and learn through discussion. This educational change, approved in 2011, is being piloted throughout the country. This progress further extends itself to Kosovo’s Civic Education, where the curriculum already addresses gender equality issues in the classroom. Globally, this is an area that is most often absent from educational curriculums.
However, Danuza explains that “even if [women’s rights] is part of the classroom, it’s not part of society.”
Kosovo has made provisions for a truly innovative social fabric: progressive legislation in conjunction with female national leadership and a well-rounded educational framework. But still, norms have not been affected. Fellow Vjosa Beqaj-Krasniqi, Director of Kosovo’s Department of Sectorial Policies at the Ministry of European Integration, explains that uncoordinated action plans may be to blame for stunting effective implementation of policies. Addressing this challenge, the HOPE Fellows emphasize the importance of grassroots movements and engaging with women’s organizations, focusing less on national policies.
2014 HOPE Fellows
- Vjosa Beqaj-Krasniqi, Director, Department of Sectorial Policies, Ministry of European Integration;
- Rudina Hasimja, Program Coordinator, Centre for Research, Documentation, and Publication;
- Majlinda Aliu, Senior Journalist, Radio Television of Kosova;
- Flaka Xhelili, Senior Legal Officer, Department for Legal Affairs, Ministry of Justice.
Photo: United Nations Development Programme in Europe and CIS (cc).
