The President of the Republic of Kosovo Vjosa Osmani Sadriu, reacted after the inhumane act of sexual assault of an 11-year-old minor.
President Osmani said that sexual violence, as well as all forms of violence against girls and women, pose a threat to everyone and reveal a serious wound in our society.
“Therefore, the perpetrators of these crimes must receive the appropriate and immediate response from the justice institutions. We must not allow our country to be unsafe for girls and women”, the President emphasized.
Below is President Osmani's entire post:
The inhumane act of sexual violence against an 11-year-old minor is shocking. I demand a rigorous investigation and accountability before the law for the perpetrators of the crime.
With the greatest severity and determination, we must repeat unanimously that no one is above the law. The law should be harsh to each such offender, especially in cases like this when the target of the violence are children.
Sexual violence, as well as all forms of violence against girls and women, pose a threat to everyone and represent a serious wound in our society. Therefore, the perpetrators of these crimes must receive the appropriate and immediate response from the justice institutions. We must not allow our country to be unsafe for girls and women.
Unfortunately, in certain cases, for many years now women's lives and men's lives have not been treated equally, the victim is blamed and not the perpetrator, and even cases with even lower sentences than those foreseen by law have only encouraged the perpetrators and rapists. Therefore, I ask the justice bodies to completely eliminate sexism and inequality in judicial decisions, as well as the security institutions to increase the level of protection for girls and women who are victims of violence. It is also time to proceed with legislative changes that further toughen the punishments for rapists.
It is our collective responsibility to ensure that all children have a dignified childhood and to eliminate gender-based violence.