Andric Rakic: Sexual violence a major problem in Kosovo, women don't trust institutions

Milica Andric Rakic, Program Manager of the non-governmental organization New Social Initiative, emphasized that sexual violence against women is a significant problem in Kosovo, for which institutions lack an adequate solution. According to her, women in Kosovo are reluctant to report sexual harassment because they do not trust the institutions and because they want to avoid the associated stigma.

Andric Rakic stated that the northern part of Kosovo had been a safe environment for women, with incidents of sexual violence being rare. However, the situation changed two years ago, with Serbian women in the north increasingly becoming victims of some form of sexual harassment.

A group of women from the north even sent a letter to the KFOR commander, requesting that the bridge over the Ibar River remain closed and asking for KFOR's protection due to the growing number of sexual harassment incidents on the streets.

On the other hand, Andric Rakic added, Serbian women south of the Ibar, as well as women from other non-majority communities, have been victims of sexual harassment for decades.

"Violence against women is a massive problem in Kosovo. Paradoxically, the north was somewhat isolated from this issue because it is a culturally close-knit community, and until recently, sexual harassment in public spaces was neither common nor acceptable. When such incidents did occur, they were predominantly within a family context and very rarely on the streets. Over the past two years, this has become an issue in the north. However, Serbian women and other women in the south have been grappling with this problem for decades," she explained.

She believes that the number of instances of rape and harassment has not increased, but rather that more women are reporting cases.

“Kosovo’s institutions, I can confidently say, have done nothing on this issue,” Andric Rakic stated.

She highlighted that former Kosovo President Atifete Jahjaga advocated for addressing cases of rape committed during the war, but this effort was limited to Albanian women. Meanwhile, current President Vjosa Osmani and Minister of Justice Albulena Haxhiu, she added, have not introduced any policies that would improve women’s safety.

According to her, it is particularly alarming that a large number of rape victims are minors. She also pointed out a significant issue with the lack of understanding by authorities, especially police officers, whom victims encounter when reporting harassment.

“The situation is alarming. This year, many of the rape victims have been minors, often girls from non-majority communities. These are serious problems that are being swept under the rug. There is no response from prosecutors, the police, or any shift in police attitudes. The root of the problem often lies with those who first handle violence reports—police officers. Women often testify that the police fail to respond adequately to violence reports. Victims are frequently told by officers that it is a family matter, not something for them to resolve, or the officers simply choose not to believe the victims,” she added.

The main issue is the underreporting of cases, and according to Andric Rakic, women refrain from reporting due to a lack of trust in institutions and societal reasons.

“The key problem is the lack of trust in institutions; women are not ready to report such cases. That’s the first part of the issue. The second is societal, where women, especially from the Serbian community, do not want to face that kind of stigma. They fear that close family members, particularly brothers, husbands, or fathers, might find out and take action themselves, potentially putting themselves in legal trouble,” she emphasized.

She pointed out that, despite this, the police have the means to investigate such cases but lack the will to do so.

“This is a sensitive issue that can be politicized and used by both sides for political purposes. When it enters the political sphere, the victims end up suffering,” Andric Rakic concluded.