Aljovic: Every appeal by a woman seeking help from institutions must be taken seriously

ACDC Program Officer Ines Aljovic said that responsibility for cases of femicide in Kosovo could not be attributed solely to the police and that the work of all institutions involved in protecting victims of domestic violence—including the prosecution, courts, social welfare centers and victim advocates—needed to be reviewed.

She believes that coordination among the relevant institutions has been inadequate for years, particularly when it comes to communication between social welfare centers and other institutions.

“The fact is that, when we talk about violence against women in any form, institutions have not been doing their job well enough for years. In fact, we can look at this over a much longer period. I would not focus solely on the work of the police, which is certainly problematic and whose responsibility cannot be avoided. I would extend that responsibility to the prosecution, the courts, social welfare centers and victim advocates as well,” Aljovic told Kosovo Online.

Speaking about the case of Arlinda Zekaj, who was killed in Vitomirica near Pec, Aljovic said it demonstrated the consequences of institutional dysfunction and a lack of cooperation among the relevant authorities. She recalled that six women had been killed in Kosovo in 2026.

“This case is just another example of how institutional failures and insufficient coordination can, unfortunately, very easily lead to femicide—the killing of a woman. This is the sixth such case this year alone, while around 2,000 cases of this kind are recorded in Kosovo,” she stressed.

Commenting on the resignation of senior police official Gazmend Hoxha, Aljovic said that such a move represented a moral and political act, but did not in itself guarantee changes in the way institutions operate.

“I would focus more on what lies outside politics, namely reviewing the work of absolutely every institution involved in this case, as well as those generally involved in cases concerning family relations, particularly cases involving physical violence against women,” Aljovic said.

She singled out as particularly concerning the fact that Zekaj’s warnings about a potentially tragic outcome had not been taken seriously and that the prescribed protective measures had not been implemented.

“Any interim protective measures that are ordered must be implemented immediately so that we may be able to prevent such tragic events. All interim measures should take effect as soon as they are imposed,” she said.

Aljovic added that every appeal for help from a victim must be taken seriously and that, although the police were not the only institution responsible for protection, they had to respond and ensure that the victim was connected with the other relevant services.

“No matter how many times a woman appeals for help, every such call must be taken very seriously. Although the police are not directly responsible for protecting victims, since there is a dedicated institution and personnel tasked with doing so, in cases like these they must step in to protect a potential victim in order to prevent such tragic outcomes,” Aljovic concluded.