WUNRN
Direct Link to Report:
2007 KOSOVO REPORT
AMPLIFYING THE VOICES OF WOMEN IN
KOSOVO
Women for Women International
Stronger Women - Stronger Nations
Report Series
_______________________________________________________________________
AWID - http://www.awid.org
Association for Women's Rights in
Development
Backline
Perspectives from Kosovo
A Review of Women for Women International's 2007 'Stronger Women
Stronger Nations' Report on Kosovo.
By Kathambi Kinoti - AWID
In every war, there is a frontline discussion and a backline discussion.
This is how the authors of 'Stronger Women Stronger Nations' describe the
disconnect in the way war is portrayed and understood. Frontline
discussions are detached calculations of warfare; backline discussions are
about the overlooked questions of survival and reconstruction. While men
steer frontline efforts, women engage in backline efforts, sustaining their
communities during wartime and mending the social fabric when the fighting
ends. As in most other conflict and post-conflict situations around the
world, the women of Kosovo are marginalized to the backlines alone, even
though 'socially excluded women articulate the same priorities and concerns
as practitioners and experts.' [1]
The status of Kosovo is currently unresolved. It has been under United
Nations administration for more than eight years. While Serbia would like
to maintain it as an autonomous region within Serbia, Kosovo itself favours
independence. Russia, which has significant international clout, supports
Serbia's position. In March 2007 Martti Ahtisaari, the UN appointed leader
of the status negotiations presented a final status report and draft
settlement agreement to the UN Security Council. The report and draft
agreement recommended that Kosovo become an independent nation, a proposal
rejected by Serbia and Russia.
According to the survey upon which 'Stronger Women Stronger Nations' is
based, women in Kosovo are less concerned about the region's formal status
than about bread and butter issues. The number of women who cited
unemployment as the main issue for their dissatisfaction with the situation
in Kosovo was twice as many as those who cited uncertainty over Kosovo's
status. [2] This is not to say that women are ignorant or unconcerned about
the political issues. It simply means that being disproportionately
responsible for the day to day sustenance of communities, their priorities
are basic; food, water, health and safety. Yet for sustainable peace, their
priority issues must be addressed. Women are missing from the political
discussions about peace in Kosovo. The authors of the report assert that
for long-term peace and stability to prevail, women's priorities and
recommendations must be part of Kosovo's national agenda; the status of
women is integral to economic growth, reconstruction and sustainable peace.
[3] They say that 'women held society together during the war and have since
become the grassroots experts on peace building and reconstruction.' [4]
Despite the prevailing social, economic and political conditions, women are
optimistic. Eighty nine percent of the women surveyed expected the overall
situation in Kosovo to improve within one year. Most women believe that
their political participation is important for Kosovo, but say they are not
well represented politically. They also report alack of access to political
information, which impacts on their ability to participate in political
decision making.
The survey respondents demonstrated significant confidence in local
institutions to deliver their rights although they acknowledged that
traditional or societal gender discrimination hampers them from claiming
their rights as women. They had more faith in local institutions such as
the Kosovo Police Force and the Kosovo media than in the UN Mission in
Kosovo (UNMIK) or the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE). The international community is preoccupied with the status of
Kosovo and the protection of minority rights. The women of Kosovo are
preoccupied with education and employment as a prerequisite to the solution
of most of their pressing concerns. The survey showed strong support for a
tolerant multi-ethnic community.
The report makes a strong case for involving women in all discussions about
the way forward for Kosovo. It shows that it is vital to demonstrate that
women's issues are society's issues and should not be marginalized. It
makes a case for mobilizing for women's participation and for the provision
of long-term investment in Kosovo's future. It emphasizes that sustainable
peace, democracy and economic development depend on women's economic,
social and political participation. For this reason, it is important for
women to fully participate at all levels; from the dinner table to
community councils, to the United Nations.
_______________
Notes:
1. Women for Women International, Public International Law & Policy Group
and American University 'Stronger Women Stronger Nations: 2007 Kosovo
Report.' p. 26
2. Ibid. p. 7
3. Ibid.
4. Ibid p. 14.
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