On November 17, Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) and the Community Development Fund (CDF) held a Roundtable Discussion to publish an Analysis titled: “Reporting and treatment of cases of domestic violence for the period of January – August 2022”.

This report aims to provide comprehensive data on the institutional treatment of domestic violence cases for the given period, including the number of cases reported to the Kosovo Police, and the way these cases have been handled by the Prosecutor’s Office and the Basic Court in Prishtina, in terms of rules and procedures.  From the analyzed data, we can conclude that within the period January-August 2022, at the country level, 1,852 cases of domestic violence were reported to the Kosovo Police, and referring to the official data received by this institution, it appears that 581 cases or about a third of the total cases were reported in Pristina region. In regards to the suspects and arrested persons who are suspected of having committed domestic violence, we can see that most of them are males and adults. In regards to the victims of domestic violence, we found out that most of them are women. Regarding the treatment of cases of this nature by the Basic Prosecutor’s Office in Prishtina, we can conclude that this institution has shown efficiency in handling domestic violence cases with minor perpetrators, while it is required to increase efficiency in handling domestic violence cases when the perpetrators of this criminal offenses are adults.

While, from analyzing of 43 judgments published by the Basic Court in Pristina (together with the branches), for the period January – August 2022, it can be seen that only in 5 cases this court has imposed an effective imprisonment sentence, while the majority of the judgments consist of conditional sentences. On the other hand, one can see that in relation to such cases, in 70% of them, the legal deadline for scheduling and holding the initial examination from the moment when the indictment was filed, it was not respected.

In conclusion, there is need that the domestic violence cases are treated with high priority by all institutions, starting from the Kosovo Police, the Prosecutor’s Office, the Courts, VPAO, SWCs and KCS, and also other bodies that in any form can influence the reducing the domestic violence phenomenon in our country. These institutions must prove that domestic violence is not only a personal problem within a family, but that the family is an institution that enjoys the state protection, which sanctions those who perpetrate violence within the domestic relationship, and that the victims are treated with care, ensuring their well-being and protection.

Panelists:

Mr. Blerim SALLAHU – Deputy Minister of Justice in Kosovo;

Mr. Dren ROGOVA – Deputy President of the Basic Court in Prishtina;

Ms. Reyes CHARLE CEULLAR – Advisor for Gender Issues at the EU Office in Kosovo;

This activity was organized within the framework of a project titled: “JUST REACT – Boosting Civic Reaction towards an Improved Access to Justice in Kosovo”, funded by the European Union and implemented by GLPS and CDF.