The President of the Republic of Kosovo, Madam Atifete Jahjaga has made a statement on the occasion of the marking of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
In the statement it is said:
Today we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, a day which is dedicated to the advocacy to respect women’s equal rights as human rights and to put an end to the violence committed against them.
Violence against women is frequently considered as a private family matter, but the violation of human rights is a matter of the whole society. Therefore it is an obligation of the institutions of the country and the whole society to undertake the necessary measures to prevent this phenomenon.
Today societies throughout the world start the 16 days of the activism of the global awareness campaign against gender violence, since this phenomenon affects all societies without distinction. We mark this day in Kosovo as well with the purpose to raise the awareness of our citizens that domestic violence and violence against women is intolerable and unacceptable. This is not only a violation of their rights, but a humiliation towards the family and depreciation of our society.
The life of each citizen of this country has a value therefore it is our obligation to protect it. The victims must be protected and the abusers must be brought to justice.
We are building a democratic state therefore gender equality should be our worth, where the role of the woman is guaranteed in every field of life and where the rights of each citizen are guaranteed regardless of gender or age.
I express my unsparing support during these 16 days of activism against gender violence, saying STOP to violence against women and calling on the whole society to make the efforts to end violence against women part of each day of theirs.
Today we mark this Day, remembering that societies will become equal, advanced and fair, when gender equality will not be the theme anymore and when the value of women in society will be recognized and respected.