Stake Holders Meet to Agree Plan to Combat Human Trafficking Today Many Girls, As Young As 11 Years Old, and Women Are Being Trafﬁ Cked Into and Around Kosovo

DETAILS

Newsletter published by The OSCE Volume 3, No. 5 - November, 2003 Stake holders meet to agree plan to combat human trafficking Today many girls, as young as 11 years old, and women are being traffi cked into and around Kosovo. How to combat traffi cking in Kosovo was the question 300 qualifi ed individuals from all over Kosovo and the Balkans aimed to address at a recent conference. By Hannah Cranston A tale shared at the conference about a 13-year- old girl, kidnapped from outside her school and persistently raped was not a happy one. Having been drugged, raped, photographed naked and threatened by a man holding a hammer, she was then too afraid to tell her family. Shocking, but certainly not extraordi- nary. This month, at the Kosovo Conference to Combat TrafÞ cking in Human Beings, judges, social workers, police, human rights special- ists, prosecutors, government and many other individuals working to combat trafÞ cking, actively discussed ways of preventing these kinds of experiences and how to help victims of trafÞ cking in the future. The conference held in Prishtinë/Pristina was co-organized by the OSCE, the Provisional Institutions for Self-Government, UNMIK Department of Justice, IOM, UNICEF and local and international NGOs. It aimed to Cross border trafÞ cking build on existing work and to increase dialogue and co-ordination between relevant gro- (OPM). Participants included ofÞ cials of the here, especially in rural areas. Offers of work, ups, in order to come up with recommenda- Stability Pact Task Force on TrafÞ cking in especially abroad, are tempting for those who tions that can be incorporated into a Kosovo Human Beings, OSCE OfÞ ce for Democratic cannot feed themselves or their children, and Action Plan, led by the Prime Minister’s OfÞ ce Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), more trafÞ ckers are using females who speak Amnesty International, Europol, South East- the local language to lure women into becom- IN THIS ISSUE: ern Europe Regional Initiative Against Human ing slaves. It is, therefore, important that TrafÞ cking and representatives of interna- people look out for each other, especially in OSCE urges young people tional and local NGOs. rural villages and small communities, to keep alert and spread the word to be aware of pred- to take a greater role page 5 atory trafÞ ckers offering work. Understanding trafficking Return needs Kosovo is a place of transit and a destination, Prevention should start at home as well as a land of origin for human traf- sustainable commitment page 6 Þ cking. Therefore, both foreign and Kosovan A general problem in Kosovo surrounding traf- victims are trafÞ cked to, through, within and Þ cking is a lack of understanding and will- The task of from Kosovo. Today, more and more women ingness to discuss the problem. This leads modernizing the media page 8 and girls are being lured or kidnapped inside to victims being ostracized by their family Kosovo, then either being sent to a location and community upon their escape and return in South Eastern Europe, or being internally home, making it difÞ cult to become reinte- Give us trafÞ cked to somewhere within Kosovo itself. grated into life and work. TrafÞ cked women equal opportunities page 10 According to Dr. Helga Konrad, Chair of the endure physical and mental torture, which Stability Pact Task Force on TrafÞ cking in often leaves them with lasting psychological Human Beings, this year 67% of assisted vic- scars. Victims of trafÞ cking are slaves and have Media coverage tims in Kosovo were Kosovans and 32% of no choice in what happens to them after they on traffi cking page 12 them were between the ages of 11 and 14 have been sold; Kosovo has the highest use of years old. coercive trafÞ cking methods, such as violent TrafÞ ckers prey on vulnerable women and abduction, in South Eastern Europe. children in Kosovo who are suffering from continues on page 3 osce the poverty and unemployment which prevail DETAILS EDITORIAL A step towards combating traffi cking

An important step towards building a solid framework in which to organize Kosovo’s local and regional efforts to combat human trafÞ cking has been taken. The OSCE co-organized Kosovo ‘Conference to Combat TrafÞ cking in Human Beings’, held on October 20-23, was a seminal event which gathered together the main actors in Kosovo’s anti-trafÞ cking effort, to discuss the elements of a strong anti-trafÞ cking plan of action. This is particularly important now, as we must push harder against the trafÞ ckers who continue to perpetrate this crime with relative impunity across South Eastern Europe. Governments must recommit themselves to working with local NGOs, to ensure meaningful care and safety for traf- Þ cked victims so that they have an opportunity for recovery. Law enforcement and NGOs must work together to establish effective links of referral and co-operation. In addition, the fact that there are signs that internal trafÞ cking, and trafÞ cking in children and minors is increasing across the region and in Kosovo, underscores how essential it is to address these areas with speciÞ c attention and strategies. In this regard, the Þ rst meeting of Kosovo’s sub- group on child trafÞ cking was initiated, and hopefully will be formalized shortly by the governmental co-ordinators. The commitment and energy of those organizing and partici- By Helga Konrad, pating in this conference was impressive, and the Stability Pact Task Force on TrafÞ cking in Chair of the Stability Pact Task Force Human Beings commends their work, and is optimistic that positive outcomes for Kosovo on Traﬃ cking in Human Beings and South Eastern Europe will result. “Grandma, kiss our house” By Olivera Stojanovic Brankica Ugrinovic is one of 50 returnees to The oldest returnee is grandma JeÞ mija (91). DETAILS Sredska village, in Prizren municipality. She She told us that she returned because of the told us, “my grandchildren were born here house and restaurant she used to have, “I had Belgrade Street 32 38000 Pristina Tel. (+381-38) 500 162 in Sredska village, but now they are in Novi nowhere to go so my son refurbished our prop- Fax: (+381-38) 500 188 Sad. When I was returning, they said to me, erty,” said this old lady as she whispered, “it E-mail: [email protected] grandma, kiss our house in Sredska.” Brankica is much better here in my native village than Publisher: told us it is very important to her to be back. anywhere else.” Sven Lindholm Sredska is a mountainous Sara village that was Days can be very long without something to Managing Editor: abandoned by its Kosovo Serb inhabitants in do, but villagers told us, “activities such as Charlotte Granville-Ross 1999. Despite the damage and limited infra- garden maintenance, sweet making for the vil- Senior Editors: structure, it has a splendid landscape that takes lage and visits now happen.” In fact, although Hasan Sopa (Detaje) one’s breath away. Now, 4 years later, having rare, some Sredska villagers have also travelled Slavisa Mladenovic (Detalji) spent time in various collective centres all over outside the village and met with old Albanian Layout & drawings: Serbia and Montenegro, or with relatives, some neighbours, who told them they were wel- Shpend Kada families have decided to return. come. Aleksandar Softic, 81, was the Þ rst to return at The general impression of the village is that Contributors: the end of 2002 and is now the ‘village leader’. work is happening. However, there is neither Srdjan Antic, Edita Buçaj, Chris Cycmanick, We met him as he was rushing to a community a school nor shop in the village and work on Hannah Cranston, Arijan Haxhibeqiri, Xhemë Ibraj, Rexhep Krasniqi, Fatime Lepaja; Nderim Pasuli, meeting and he told us, “what we found here the ambulanta is still not completed. Certainly, Ivana Petrovic, Gëzim Rexha,Halide Sadiku, were ruins, but with assistance reconstruction conditions will not be sufÞ cient to enable vil- Mevlyde Salihu, Mustafa Skenderi, Slavica Staletovic, soon began. For now everything is Þ ne, but lagers to remain in the village for this coming Armend Tahirsylaj, Irfan Ukshini, Bernard Vrban I do hope we will have more young people winter. The Sredska people explained how returning soon.” rough the mountain winter is, and told us Those who have returned do not hesitate to that without water, electricity or Þ rewood they express their satisfaction with being back. In simply cannot remain here during winter. osce Serbia they enjoyed better security, but life Despite the conditions, there is hope among Mission in Kosovo away from Sredska where they left everything the returned villagers for a mass return. The they owned was not pleasant. “Being over Þ fty, OSCE and many other international organi- and putting all one’s life-long possessions into zations strongly support the return process, Disclaimer: two rucksacks, and starting from scratch again emphasizing that anyone who wishes to return The views expressed and the presentation of the material is not easy,” many told us. “We had a normal should do so if the conditions are right. Many published do not necessarily represent the policies, opinions or life before, but now we have to start again from returnees wish to see a return to normaliza- positions of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. acquiring tables and pots to irons and chairs,” tion in their villages, and hopefully, this will they concluded. happen with time. DETAILS

continued from page 3 However, Naime Sheriffe, the anti-trafÞ cking co-ordinator for the Centre for the Protection of Women and Children (CPWC) stated that, “Sadly, respect for victims of trafÞ cking is low in Kosovo at the moment.” The situations of victims usually arise out of desperation and should, therefore, be regarded as an overall social problem, rather than an individual downfall. The Þ rst action against trafÞ cking should start at the domestic level: with 30% of victims in Kosovo coming from abusive family back- grounds, it is obvious that prevention should start at home. Family should be the greatest protection a person can have. There is no deny- ing that Kosovo has a poor economy and the desire for migration is great, but women and girls would be less likely to leave home and be trafÞ cked if they had a stable, equal and loving family life.

A full house at the Kosovo Conference to combat TrafÞ cking in Human Beings The fight against trafficking In terms of preventing trafÞ cking, the con- Florije Pajaziti, Save the Children Kosovo, dure for the status and protection of victims, ference illuminated many ways to improve spoke of more training for children at a sec- the closing of premises used for the prostitu- aversion methods. Habit Hajredini, Director ondary level and increased awareness promo- tion of trafÞ cked women and the seizing of of the OPM OfÞ ce for Good Governance, tion in rural areas, which are prime targets for assets. Human Rights, Equal Opportunities and the perpetrators of trafÞ cking. Gender Issues, called for more information It was generally agreed that all Ministries, Trafficking is a major problem at sharing with UNMIK’s TrafÞ cking and Pros- organizations and NGO’s should work in titution Investigation Unit (TPIU). He also closer co-ordination to achieve comprehen- the human level spoke of addressing the causes of trafÞ cking sive, preventative and compassionate results. Pasquale Lupoli, Head of the IOM in Kosovo such as the demand for sexual services in Dr. Konrad advised that, “The national gov- elucidated a sense of collective responsibility Kosovo. ernment should implement effective measures when he stated that, “TrafÞ cking is a major to Þ ght trafÞ cking. It is their responsibility and problem at the human level, it not only effects they should be supported by other groups.” the few who are entrapped, but is a problem She suggested that a Kosovan Government for all of us.” The use of trafÞ cked women for Co-ordinator should be established to work sexual purposes could contribute to the money with the Ministries, and this Inter-Ministerial and power of organized criminal groups, as Working Group should be fully inclusive of well as create other networks of drug and gun all other relevant organizations. crime in Kosovo that add to an unstable environment. Using services from enforced pros- Other recommendations included extended titution can also spread sexually transmitted training for police ofÞ cers, judges and prose- diseases. cutors so that the issue is treated with the sensitivity it deserves. Due to this conference, Kosovo can now look forward to continued and improved mea- It was also agreed that once a victim has been sures against trafÞ cking. The Deputy Head identiÞ ed by the police she should be taken of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, Rolf Van into the care of an NGO that can provide Uye, declared the issue of counter-trafÞ cking her with shelter, conÞ dentiality, advice about to be “a top-priority for the organization, as legal counsel and a comforting level of under- the OSCE Action Plan to combat trafÞ cking standing, as soon as possible. recently adopted by the Permanent Council Many participants highlighted the need to shows.” increase the level of safety and protection for Paul Coffey, Director of the Department of victims. Justice UNMIK Pillar I pointed out that if It was advised that the law on trafÞ cking the phenomenon of trafÞ cking were referred (UNMIK Regulation 2001/4) should be more to literally as ‘Torture, Kidnapping and Slav- strongly implemented; this law allows up to ery’, the interest and public attention would 15 years in prison for those who procure have been far greater to date. TrafÞ cking is sexual services from a trafÞ cked woman, 20 an obscene and intolerable abuse of human years for the trafÞ ckers and no prosecution rights. For a region that hopes someday to for the victim. New criminal courts and laws become part of the European Union, it is im- that will come into action next year should perative that Kosovo acts now to counter this also take into account a standardized proce- heinous crime once and for all. DETAILS Civic Dialogue develops By Besnik Tahiri The Civic Dialogue was launched by the sion of its activities in 2004, based on its previ- Mother Teresa Society (MTS) in Kosovo and ous activities and regional engagements. The the Center for Regionalism in Novi Sad (CR), council proposed concrete activities, empha- with the assistance of the OSCE Mission in sizing that once the formal dialogue between Kosovo and the Freedom House Foundation Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade began, new (FHF) ofÞ ce in Belgrade. The idea is to promote, possibilities for the involvement of civil society support and conduct speciÞ c project activities would arise and should be explored to maxi- aiming at: developing civic channels of com- mum effort. munication; regional co-operation; restoring The Civic Dialogue council proposed to con- trust, interaction and co-operation towards a duct public outreach activities in co-operation citizen’s interest driven reconciliation process; with the media, to enhance visibility and the Civic Dialogue Council at work and normalization of relations between com- role of NGOs and other civic actors in the UN munities. sponsored government negotiations between tinue as a partner with the FHF in supporting The Civic Dialogue action plan for the year Prishtinë/Priština and Belgrade, through pub- Civil Dialogue. 2004 has been developed since the completion lications, lobbying and public events. One of the council members, Dr. Jovan Komsic, of a successful meeting with youth NGOs Beside the Civic Dialogue council members, said, “Let us start with the least controversial from Kosovo and Serbia in May 2003, and the Mr. Friedhelm Frischenschlager, Director of topics and inß uence public opinion by orga- regional conference ‘Building Regional Part- the OSCE Department for Democratization, nizing afÞ rmative meetings with public indi- nerships and Networks’ in June of this year in and Michael Staresinic, Director of the FHF in viduals from Kosovo and Serbia, in order to Prishtinë/Pristina. Serbia, also participated. Mr. Frischenschlager show the public that negotiations are under- At a recent meeting in Belgrade in October said that the OSCE really appreciates the efforts way between non political structures. This 2003, the Civic Dialogue council deÞ ned future of the Center for Regionalism and the MTS, would also contribute towards building trust plans and designed a strategy for the expan- and that the OSCE will be interested to con- and normalization of relations in the region.” Capacity building and co-operation By Biserka Ivanovic munity more open to ideas and suggestions from them. It was felt that a better ß ow of infor- An opportunity arose for individuals to meet, Kosovo Albanian NGO Council for Defense of mation was needed between sectors (donors share experiences and learn from each other Human Rights and Freedom (CDHRF). and NGO’s). when 75 Kosovo Serb NGO activists met to The participants used the opportunity to share discuss capacity building and co-operation The representatives of the Kosovo Serb NGOs their opinions and thoughts about developing amongst each other. At the opening of the also stressed the need to organize themselves a future strategy for different sectors of civil conference, Ambassador Pascal Fieschi, OSCE better in joint endeavors and activities. They society work. SpeciÞ cally, they discussed steps Head of Mission in Kosovo, pointed out saw this conference as a very important step that should be taken to provide sufÞ cient inter that, “there is a need for pragmatic collabo- towards future co-operation with other inter- sector co-operation, and a better ß ow of infor- ration between all communities and inter-eth- national community actors. mation, networking and inter community co- nic engagement that will contribute to a truly operation. One of the recommendations heard at the con- multi-ethnic Kosovo.” ference was a need for the OSCE to be more Everyone showed admirable enthusiasm and Kosovo Serb NGO representatives were joined transparent. Kosovo Serb NGO activists also involvement in group discussions and many at the conference by international community asked to have professional training delivered constructive ideas were created. An interest- representatives (OSCE, UNHCR, Council of by experts as part of their capacity building ing idea came from Kosovo Serb NGO activists Europe, UNMIK OfÞ ce of Returns and Medicos and professional development. Recently, the who would like to see the international com- del Mundo) and a representative from the local OSCE Democratization Department updated the Kosovo Serb NGO database and this information, together with the results of the group discussions, recommendations and suggestions from the conference, will be disseminated in a brochure in all 3 languages (English, Albanian and Serbian). Ambassador Fieschi told the participants, “NGOs have an opportunity to take a leading role in showing the politicians how inter- community dialogue can become routine and mutually beneÞ cial for all communities.” The Ambassador also stressed the need for the Kosovo Serb NGO activist’s voices to be heard and understood. He welcomed constructive views and ideas in this regard, hoping that the international community will increase support for the good work this NGO community is Sharing experiences at the Local NGOs Capacity Building and Co-operation Conference doing. DETAILS OSCE urges young people to take a greater role in community development By Edita Buçaj A famous Balkan (Albanian) writer and critic Roles and approaches Faik Konica said, “young people in this part of the world have had the misfortune of having According to the statute of the Youth Assem- to mature before their time.” This is particu- bly, within the Municipality, the assemblies larly true of Kosovo children. Many of them will be responsible for: Education, culture and have had to stand on their own feet and sport; Ecology and environmental protection; behave like adults much earlier than in other Social assistance of young people with disabil- cultures. ities and also management and control of the budget, within the laws regulating each activ- Investing in youth, invests in change ity. The Assembly also envisages forming com- mittees for each of these areas. As the largest demographic group, young people in Kosovo have shown a strong will- ingness to be more involved and provide input Meeting democratic standards into policy-making. Ultimately, the young Besides a multi-ethnic component, the youth generations are the ones who will boost the assembly worked to ensure a gender balance. processes, enabling them to see results and The democratically elected President of the changes that they might like. With youth Youth Assembly in Gjilan/Gnjilane, Miss Ar- assemblies, they hope to succeed. The OSCE bëresha Rrahmani was not elected just because has stepped forward and offered its help. she is a woman. She received votes from both genders represented. In her Þ rst speech in In the Þ rst half of October, teenagers from her capacity as president, she pledged, “to Gjilan/Gnjilane and Lipjan/Lipljan gathered to do my best to improve living conditions for elect the leaders - a president and deputy pres- people in our municipality. There is an urgent Voting in the Þ rst multi-ethnic youth ident - of the Þ rst multi-ethnic youth assem- need to tackle the environmental situation. All assembly in Lipjan/Lipljan blies of their kind. A similar project will be we breathe is dust and smoke.” Her Lipjan/ with conscience and in accordance with the sponsored and implemented in the troubled Lipljan counterpart pledged to Þ ght smoking law. In order to ensure fair conditions for a town of Mitrovicë/Mitrovica. and other unpleasant phenomena concerning peaceful life for all,” were words that all the youth. Assembly members articulated with admira- tion. Taking the oath Enthusiasm prevailed throughout these early “I solemnly declare that I will fulÞ l all my meetings as teenagers from different commu- duties and responsibilities as a Municipal nities found a common language, something Assembly member honourably, impartially, that is not always the case with adults.

One participant taking the oath

“Your decisions are going to make a difference to your communities, so this is very important for you and for the community you represent,” said Ms. Edit Kovacs, an OSCE Democratiza- tion OfÞ cer opening the meeting. Young people engage in the Þ rst multi-ethnic youth assembly in Lipjan/Lipljan DETAILS Return needs sustainable commitment Despite continuous eﬀ orts by the international community, including the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, and work by the local communities, returnees are still facing many diﬃ culties. Issues vary from shelter, food, clothing, and freedom of movement, to unemployment and basic living conditions. By: Hasan Sopa After many efforts and attempts, the Þ rst and largest group of Kosovo Albanians returned to the village of Biti e Epërme/Gornja Bitinja, in the Štrpce/Shtërpcë municipality in March 2003. Since the conß ict they were living either with their relatives or in collective centres. When they Þ rst returned, their houses were ruined and so they set up the tents received earlier from UNHCR. Only the heads of the families decided to stay and try to Þ x some temporary shelter from what was left, usually one room of a house. On weekends family members would come to help, but they couldn’t really do much without substantial assistance.

Life under the open sky Returnee’s house waiting to be restored Monday, 13 October for many people was an ordinary day. For the inhabitants of Biti e decided to use the same truck, to distribute Head of OSCE OfÞ ce in Štrpce/Shtërpcë, the Epërme/Gornja Bitinja this was a remarkable the aid to the Albanian inhabitants. We told entire project will cost €1.9 million. The OfÞ ce day. A lorry with humanitarian aid arrived to him you received your share, now help your- of Returns and Communities has donated distribute desperately needed items for the vil- self, your neighbours and all of us in this situ- €500,000 for this Þ rst phase. lage inhabitants. ation. It worked out perfectly,” said Mr. Marc “Before the winter arrives 24 Kosovo Albanian Kalmbach, the OSCE Democratization OfÞ cer Many people may have already forgotten the houses from Biti e Epërme/Gornja Bitinja, that in Štrpce/Shtërpcë distribution scenes that were daily events not were completely destroyed during the conß ict, so long ago. Certainly, they are no longer head- Returning under the mercy of fate will be reconstructed. Also, 3 Kosovo Serbs line news for the media. However, for 46 fami- from Donja Bitinja/Biti e Poshtme houses will lies who have returned here, this truck carrying There is no doubt that these people, like all ref- be reconstructed. These were considered as humanitarian aid donated by a German orga- ugees, are tired of having no home, but return- the most vulnerable families,” explained Mr. nization, ‘Lachen Helfen’ meant a great deal. ing under the mercy of fate is also not an Denecke. The United Nations Development In less than an hour, more than one hundred easy step to take. Concern prevails amongst Programme (UNDP) and Danish Refugee Com- boxes were laid on the ground ready for the the returnees with winter on the way. Their mittee will also support the project. clothes and food to be distributed. These items faces speak volumes. The village leader told were certainly needed with winter on its way, us, “We desperately need help. If the recon- Not everyone is happy struction material that has been promised does as Mr. Shyqeri Hamiti explained, “We live in However, all this does not occur without prob- tents under the open sky.” not arrive soon, we do not know what is going to happen to us.” lems. When we talked to some earlier return- A Kosovo Serb driver was hired with his pri- ees to Biti e Epërme/Gornja Bitinja, they told vate truck to distribute the humanitarian aid. Fate seemed to be on its way. A joint project of us that there are indications that some Kosovo This is an encouraging sign in terms of recon- the ‘American Refugee Committee’ (ARC), the Serbs from Donja Bitinja/Biti e Poshtme will ciliation. “Given that 50% of the aid was dis- Municipal Working Group on Return and the block the road on the day that the construction tributed beforehand to the Kosovo Serbs, we OSCE has begun. According to Mr Denecke material is due to arrive. The same thing happened to them when they Þ rst returned to the village at the beginning of this year. According to Mr. Denecke there is a struggle among the Kosovo Serbs as they are not happy with the way aid is to be distributed. “We tried to explain to them that with winter coming we need to prioritize those whose homes are in a desperate situation, which happens to be Kosovo Albanians from Biti e Epërme/ Gornja. When the project is implemented as a whole they will deÞ nitely get their share,” Mr Denecke told us. He believes that a solution will be found and the aid will Þ nd its way to the destination point as soon as possible. There is no doubt that the return process is not easy. To have a sustainable return needs the co-operation of all those directly or indirectly involved. Each and every member of Kosovo’s Aid is delivered to the returned inhabitants of Biti e Eperme/Gornja Bitinja village society can do something to help the process. DETAILS To live together By Nderim Pasuli After the armed conß ict ended in Kosovo the return process and presented solid facts have already taken concrete steps. The com- the lack of communication and trust between on the performance of their municipal govern- munities have been integrated into our insti- communities was the main obstacle for rein- ments on returns. “We continue to strengthen tutions. We have concrete plans for building tegration. Members of different communities the local administration and make citizens premises, which should enable the employ- hardly talked to each other. It was necessary aware of their local governments policy to- ment of returnees and community members.” for the respective organizations and institu- wards the return and reintegration process,” Talking to each other in public debates, round- tions operating in Kosovo to initiate various said Vassilios Tagios, the Democratization OfÞ - tables and daily discussions is necessary to meetings, public discussions and roundtables. cer in OSCE Prizren. increase citizen’s awareness, in order to under- As part of this a series of roundtables on The participants unanimously agreed that the stand each other and the daily problems that returns, baptised ‘To Live Together’, were return process should not be politicised, and IDPs are facing. The ‘To Live Together’ round- implemented in the Prizren Region in co-oper- that local governments should strongly sup- table sessions are just one way to help facili- ation with the OSCE, UNHCR, International port it and create the necessary conditions for tate a smoother return process by promoting Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC) and return and reintegration. discussion and awareness. Pax Christi/Forum CPS. “It is not easy to live in exile, or as an inter- Spomenka Kojadinovic, the acting CEO in The latest session, the eighth broadcast in a nally displaced person (IDP). Kosovo is a dem- Štrpce/Shtërpcë told us, “the return process series of nine, was conducted at Radio Vala ocratic place that offers suitable conditions for for Kosovo Albanians in Štrpce/Shtërpcë has 2000 from Suharekë/Suva Reka. The partici- return. But, we also cannot ignore the prob- almost been accomplished. Few technical pants were the Chief Executive OfÞ cers (CEO) lems these individuals face,” said Ragip Gajr- requirements regarding IDP’s house recon- from Prizren, Suharekë/Suva Reka, Dragash/ aku, the CEO from Prizren. struction remain. The communities have Dragaš, Rahovec/Orahovac and Štrpce/Shtër- The consequences of living in exile remain accepted each other which is very important.” pcë municipalities. vivid for many, thus house reconstruction is a It is clear that with the help of the local and This session was successful because the par- crucial condition for return. Ibrahim Kryeziu, central institutions and support of the interna- ticipants focused on the actual topic, return of CEO Rahovec/Orahovac explained, “Return is tional and local communities difÞ culties relat- displaced neighbours. All of them supported not an easy process, it is a marathon, but we ing to return can be overcome. Building on ‘Breaking the Wall’ By Afrore Çitaku “It was one of the most productive study visits also informed about the so far. We were able to learn and enrich our role of the public in- knowledge on how local government can func- formation ofÞ ces and tion to best effect,” said Mr. Skender Zogaj, about each Municipa- Fushë Kosovë/Kosovo Polje Municipal Presi- lity’s co-operation with dent, about a recent four-day study visit to the private sector. Mu- Norway. nicipal standard pro- The Municipal President of Dragash/Dragaš, cedures for administ- Mr. Halim Shemsedini, accompanied Mr. Zogaj rative matters, and pro- on the trip, along with the Chief Executive OfÞ - positions to the Munic- cer from Štrpce/Shtërpcë Mrs. Radica Janicevic, ipal Council and its NGO representatives and the Public Informa- executive board were tion OfÞ cers from the three Municipalities. This other areas discussed, visit was part of an OSCE Democratization as well as information Department project called ‘Breaking the Wall’. about co-operation The purpose of the study visit was for the with NGOs. participants to explore ideas on how Munic- “The decision-making ipalities inform their citizens, by exchanging The Kosovan group on a study visit in Norway experiences and knowledge with peer institu- processes in the Nor- tions and other associations in Norway. Par- wegian local governments are very advanced This study visit would not have happened ticular emphasis was placed on municipal compared to ours,” said Skender Zogaj. He without co-operation. Tore Nilsen, Chief of communication and transparency with citizens. continued, “the citizen’s direct inß uence is very the Economy in the Hamar municipal gov- The ultimate aim being to improve municipal strong and importantly, is respected.” A great ernment primarily organized the visit, with services making them more accessible. deal was learned by everyone who partici- support from the Municipal Presidents of the The Kosovan group had the opportunity to pated. Mr. Zogaj told us more, “we learnt about Hamar, Stange and Loten Municipalities as meet with the Norwegian Association of Local the best ways to manage the municipal budget well as from the Norwegian Ministry of For- and Regional Authorities in Oslo, and to learn and what impressed me most, was the very eign Affairs. All the representatives seem to about the involvement of citizens in Norwegian close co-operation between all the political par- share the same opinion that the study visit local government, speciÞ cally in the Hamar, ties and their devotion to work for the will of allowed them to learn a great deal and was an Stange and Loten Municipalities. They were their citizens.” excellent opportunity. DETAILS The task of modernizing media in Kosovo By Mustafa Eric “We are going back with new Eastern Europe Media Organi- ideas from this conference and sation (SEEMO), an afÞ liate of this is what is important,” said the International Press Institute Kelmend Hapqiu, Editor-in- (IPI), bringing together senior Chief of the Kosova-Live news media executives and editors agency, who headed the Þ rst from Serbia and Kosovo. OMiK ever Kosovo delegation taking sponsored and facilitated the part in an international consul- participation of Kosovan media tative meeting organized by the representatives in the event. A World Association of Newspa- follow-up meeting to the May pers (WAN). event will be organized in Skopje The mid October event, a before the end of the year. ‘Roundtable on Newspaper Within the context of regional Association Management’, media co-operation, various brought together representa- projects targeting Roma and tives from other South Eastern other ethnic communities, and European countries such as projects aimed at training Romania, Bulgaria and Albania. women journalists and estab- It was mainly aimed at allowing lishing children TV programmes participants from print media exchanges, are either underway outlets to share experiences on or have been implemented. how to strengthen their associa- Although a lot has been done, tions through joint action before much remains to be achieved. their governments. The Kosovo The task of institution building delegation’s trip to Prague for in the Þ eld of media has a long this event was sponsored and way to go before adequate reg- funded by the OSCE Mission ulations can be put in place for in Kosovo (OMiK), as part of an environment whereby media its mandate to support institu- outlets can properly function tion building and media devel- as efÞ cient watchdogs for the opment in Kosovo. good of the public. As the Tem- The Media Support Unit of porary Media Commissioner the Democratization Depart- prepares to become the Indepen- ment (DD) in the OSCE has dent Media Commission, there been involved in an all embrac- is a particular need for a self- ing effort to consolidate the Media in action regulatory body for print media media scene so that newspa- and a code of conduct to emerge. pers and broadcasters can function as real work of 28 Kosovo Serb radio stations located The Kosovo Assembly should discuss and agents of the “Fourth Estate”, as public informa- all around Kosovo. Under the project funded adopt a series of legislative acts to regulate tion outlets are labeled in functioning democ- by the European Agency for Reconstruction copyright issues, public and private broadcast- racies. (EAR) and implemented by OMiK, all 28 sta- ing and such contentious topics as libel and Over the years, trainings on journalism have tions will be able to broadcast joint news and defamation. been a distinctive feature of such efforts. The current affairs programmes before the end of New regulations on taxation of media outlets, training unit of the DD media section con- 2003. The project has not ignored the need including the possible reduction of VAT on ducts between 15 to 20 programmes annually, for quality journalism and has also provided newspaper sales and possible regulations to to empower Kosovan journalists to improve systematic training for employees of the radio govern cable broadcasting are among the other investigative and writing stories skills and to stations through the involvement of the Euro- main items waiting to be discussed. Mid career produce TV and radio programmes of a higher pean Centre for Broadcast Journalism (ECBJ), training of journalists will need to be trans- standard. an institution based in Belgrade and run by the ferred to Kosovan partners so that such activ- Recently, the training has been focusing on BBC. ities will be carried out by local institutions, management skills to allow existing media out- As for intra regional co-operation, OMiK’s while academic journalism education will have lets to consolidate their positions by achieving media support team has also been very active to be instituted with an adequate curriculum self-sustainability in Kosovo’s admittedly small since the beginning of this year. Many confer- and academic staff. market. ences, seminars and meetings have been orga- The outlook for the accomplishment of such OMiK’s multi-faceted media support pro- nized bringing together representatives from tasks is promising: There is dedication on the gramme also targets ethnic communities in several South Eastern European countries, to part of the OMiK staff and the international Kosovo, to provide them with possibilities of contribute to the establishment of professional community and there is understanding within access to timely, accurate and objective infor- relations and the widening of tolerance and the Kosovo media establishment, with a few mation in their own languages through various understanding among regional media players. exceptions, that these goals should be achieved projects. One signiÞ cant effort worth mention- One prominent endeavour was a conference if Kosovo is to become part of Europe as it ing in this area is the soon to be completed net- organized in May under the aegis of South aspires to. DETAILS Model UN Conference in Lipjan/Lipljan By Berat Recica Kosovo Serb and Ash- told us. “We have discussed a lot of topics, for kali secondary school example: AIDS; repatriation of refugees; drugs students in Lipjan/Lip- and narcotics; the new temporary administra- ljan municipality with tion in Iraq; the conß ict between Israel and the opportunity to par- Palestine and trafÞ cking in human beings,” ticipate in an ethni- he concluded. The most important thing is cally mixed reconcilia- that these issues have been discussed together, tion programme. Arta regardless of who sat nearby. All participants Uka, a participant, tried hard to put themselves in other people’s explained: “The MUC shoes to understand different perspectives. helps minorities to inte- During this programme, the participants were grate into everyday life, encouraged to form their own support net- to meet other people works and mechanisms, in order to maintain and to communicate contact with other young people residing in in an alternative lan- the municipality. Relationships have certainly guage, in this case in developed between communities and ethnic- the English language.” ities in the area. Many young Kosovo Serbs Voting takes place at the Model UN Conference in Lipjan/Lipljan The programme offers and Ashkalis are now comfortable to enter the supervised recreational Lipjan/Lipljan youth centre daily to take part The subject of a recent ‘Model UN Conference’ and informal tolerance building activities, in a in activities. This was not the case previously. (MUC) organized by the OSCE Democratiza- positive and challenging environment for the The OSCE hopes to continue the programme tion Department in Lipjan/Lipljan, was ‘TrafÞ - physical, mental, emotional and social devel- during 2004 in order to implement a ‘Model UN cking of Human Beings’, which is becoming a opment of young people. Conference’ Kosovo wide. To date it has been larger issue every year. “This was the Þ rst programme after the conß ict an important reconciliation tool. The future The overall aim of this twelfth session of to bring together youth from different commu- plan is to concentrate more on qualitative work the MUC was to provide Kosovo Albanian, nities,” Milenko Bilibajkic, another participant as the members become more expert. Improving Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian education By Mevlyde Salihu Today the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) communities face a difÞ cult social situation, education is one reason for this. Too often RAE children are seen on the streets rather than in school in Kosovo, and those who do attend school often drop out early. The OSCE and the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology (MEST) decided to address this problem. In most cases the low school attendance rate of RAE children is due either to lack of money and transport, or to parents under-estimating the importance of education. In addition, dis- criminatory treatment or language problems often lead to a drop out of those children who do actually attend school. In order to overcome this difÞ cult situation, the OSCE and MEST organized regional roundta- Lindholm- OSCE Spokesperson, Frischenschlager-Director of Democratization Department ble discussions, aiming to identify the main OSCE & Osmani, Minister of Education on RAE education difÞ culties and ways to address them. Rexhep gramme, which is being carried out in 12 Department ofÞ cer said, “If recommendations Osmani, Minister of Education, at a press con- municipalities,” said Osmani. “One priority are followed, the programme may increase ference said that MEST is strongly committed identiÞ ed is to have their language, history and RAE children’s enrolment by up to 40% by to improving the provision of education to the culture included in the school curriculum,” he the beginning of the next academic year.” RAE community. added. The Ministry and OSCE will create a The catch-up programme is clearly important “We have information that 1,600 RAE children working group to review the feasibility of this. for improving attendance rates and education now participate in a 9 month catch-up pro- Gianfranco D’eramo, an OSCE Democratization overall. DETAILS Give us equal opportunities “No matt er where you work or live, the most important issue for an individual, in order to be successful and prosperous, is being able to integrate into society and be accepted,” - says Gëzim Rexha, a media monitor in the OSCE Mission in Kosovo - By Fatime Lepaja Among three thousand visually impaired general there are limited possibilities or con- people in Kosovo, there is a tall, handsome, ditions for Kosovo institutions to do more, and very intelligent guy, Gëzim Rexha from and that we cannot expect much. But, what the town of Gjakova/Djakovica, in South West- we would appreciate is for others to put away ern Kosovo. Gëzim graduated in English Lan- their prejudices, because prejudices and neg- guage and Literature at the University of ative attitudes create additional difÞ culties Prishtinë/Pristina and has been working with over and above blindness itself. OSCE since 1999. Prejudice preventing equality Equipment required As a blind person you can still have the nec- When starting in OSCE, Dan Seymour the essary abilities and qualities to carry out a head of the OSCE Gjakova/Djakovica ofÞ ce as- speciÞ c job or attend a school, but because ked Gëzim what he needed to be able to work of prejudice many are simply not given the successfully. Having read about electronic chance to do so. Therefore, we would ask facilities he knew what equipment existed, people to give us an equal chance. Our motto but had never had the opportunity to use would be, “just give us equal opportunities.” any of it before. The procedure soon began to “My personal experience is very positive and acquire the right equipment, and in no time I appreciate the fact that I am always wel- Gëzim was fulÞ lling his role as a media moni- come and treated fairly equally in the OSCE. tor, Þ rst in OSCE Gjakova/Djakovica, then in Personally I do not feel either positively or headquarters. negatively discriminated against, though I do A regional media co-ordinator Caterina Artelli, believe that either discrimination can have helped Gëzim in his early days by sending him negative consequences,” said Gëzim Rexha. an original copy of a special programme ‘Job Gëzim has shown how people with special Access With Speech’ (JAWS). This programme needs can integrate into society and work in makes it possible for visually impaired people a normal capacity. It is now the task of soci- to make full use of a computer by using a ety to accept and provide the opportunity for speech and audio mechanism. The system Gëzim Rexha, Media Monitor, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo more visually impaired people to be success- enables individuals to read, write, edit and per- ful and prosperous as Gezim undoubtedly is. form all operations as any other person might. Later on the OSCE provided another screen reader programme called ‘Virtual Graphical Overlay’ (VIRGO) enabling Gëzim to read and send e-mails. With the two programmes and the help of a specialist trainer he can now perform his duties without difÞ culty. “Being blind means you have additional and varying difÞ culties to deal with,” Gëzim tells us, “but they are not insurmountable, and I can overcome them by using alternative tech- niques in order to achieve the same results as others.” Gëzim is a member of the Association of Blind and Visually Impaired People, and he was recently elected as the Kosovo representative for the association.

International White Cane Day October 15 was ‘International White Cane Day’, so we asked Gëzim how institutions co-  uld support people with special needs more? He told us, “everyone in Kosovo, including those with special needs, understand that in   DETAILS Gender equality has begun By: Patrick Hoﬀ mann women’s issues such as, The idea was to equip the participants with a gender and sex, gender basic understanding that gender bias is a gen- needs and mainstream- uine obstacle to the sustainable development ing gender in civil soci- of democracy. It further enhanced the basic ety. understanding on gender awareness, and how Hysni Sefa, an Ashkali to mainstream gender into all their core activ- man from the village ities as a valuable tool in building a sustain- of Vrella/Vrelo in Lip- able democracy. It has ensured that gender is jan/Lipljan municipality taken into consideration in all aspects of pro- learnt about new issues gramme planning and that a proper gender on gender, “my hope balance is achieved in all decision-making. is that every male who Xhyste Dabaj, Municipal Gender OfÞ cer for participated in the work- Lipjan/Lipljan said that, “simply the number shop will start to imple- of participants on both days shows that the ment the advice which training was very successful and that they we have heard. It was were satisÞ ed with the content and the orga- very useful for me as a nization of the workshop.” Learning more about gender equality man to attend the training, and also for the Ash- A colleague of Ms. Dabaj from Gllogovc/ Recently a gender awareness workshop for kali women, because they have learnt how to Glogovac municipality said, “Even though I had already attended the gender workshop men and women was held in Lipjan/Lipljan protect their rights for the future.” in my municipality, I still gained new knowl- and Gllogovc/Glogovac municipalities. It The training was conducted by the Gender edge and will use it for my future work.” aimed to increase awareness about women’s Training and Research Center in Prishtinë/Pri- rights in order to ensure equal employment, stina. It was focused on enabling participants The general impression was that the training and a correct gender balance in democratic from three different ethnic communities and was well organized and individuals expressed institutions. two municipalities to examine and develop an interest to attend another one in the near initiatives in a different way, through improv- future. At the end of the workshop, certiÞ - Fifty-four Ashkali, Kosovo Serb and Kosovo ing their abilities to integrate gender aware- cates were delivered to the participants who Albanian community members participated ness into planning, policies, programmes and proudly announced that gender equality has in the workshop that provided training on practices. now begun and that nobody can stop it. Community socializing wins Sport events are strengthening reconciliation and reintegration By Zillha Nurkollari & Kujtim Paqaku There are many Roma issues requiring long munities together for one sports term interventions. Some projects, mostly ini- event,” Mr. Osman Ismani, a tiated by NGOs, are dealing successfully with representative from ‘Initiative 6’ many of the Roma issues, including reconcili- told us. “This football tourna- ation and reintegration and are valuable exam- ment saw the continuation of ples for the future. the process to bring youth from A Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian (RAE) Football different communities together Tournament was one such successful initiative in order to facilitate the recon- organized by the Roma NGO ‘Initiative 6’ in co- ciliation process,” he added. operation with the Youth forum of the Ashkali The twelve teams that partici- Albanian Democratic Party (PDASHK), and pated in this tournament sho- supported by the OSCE Prizren Democratiza- wed exactly what was hoped for, tion Department and the Municipal Depart- easily socializing together and ment for Culture and Sport. respecting one another. From On a bright Sunday, Prizren’s open sports sta- the Þ rst blow of the whistle by dium exploded with fans and cheering as the the referee, all the way through football teams took part in their tournament. to the last whistle there was The fellowship among the team players and more applause than goals. fans was clear for all to see, and was proof of As planned, three winning the success of this project. teams were rewarded, but in the “The aim of this project was to gather young- end community socializing was sters from the Kosovo Albanian and RAE com- the big winner. One of the proud winners accepts his prize  DETAILS Media coverage of human trafficking in Kosovo By Arben Hajredinaj The month of October witnessed a major three- day conference to combat trafÞ cking in human beings, co-organized by OSCE’s Human Rights Victim Advocacy Support Section. Prior to the conference in Prishtinë/Pristina, a half-day training workshop on ‘Media Coverage of Human TrafÞ cking’ in Kosovo was organized by the Democratization Department/Media Training unit of the OSCE. As a negative phenomenon in Kosovo and the entire South Eastern Europe region, trafÞ cking has grown continuously over the last four years. Only a short time ago people knew little on the subject, if anything. The responsibility of educating people on trafÞ cking falls mainly to the NGOs and government institutions, who through awareness raising campaigns, training courses, workshops or seminars, gather activists from local and international levels to discuss and try to overcome the problems of trafÞ cking in the Kosovo region. TrafÞ cking emerged as a major problem when proper preventative methods didn’t exist and Laura Aviles (OSCE), Igballe Rexha (Centre for the Protection of Women & Children) & before crime investigation units were estab- Linda Karadaku (Voice of America) at the Media Coverage of Human TrafÞ cking Workshop lished to Þ nd and arrest persons involved in this activity. Today different organizations In the context of organized crime, reporters feel in order to survive. Statistics show that more have compiled statistical reports and published they cannot pro-actively perform their jobs, than 50 per cent of the population of Kosovo maps of nightclubs, restaurants, pubs and caf- despite the fact that they want to carry out is unemployed. According to the Centre for eterias that are prohibited for international and detailed investigations, and be motivated to do Protection of Women and Children, many vic- local staff due to their dubious status in rela- research and inform the public of what is hap- tims of trafÞ cking only have primary school tion to trafÞ cking. However, the majority of pening around them. Generally, more needs to education or no education at all. A lack of the population still has access to these prem- be done to report and research many topics in understanding certainly exists in relation to ises. As a new phenomenon, offers of sexual Kosovo, but trafÞ cking is an important one to services is thrilling for some young people in trafÞ cking - one actual victim interviewed by a focus on. Kosovo - forgetting that most of these women representative of this centre said that trafÞ ck- and girls were either brought by force from During the workshop on ‘Media Coverage of ing is related to something like ‘trafÞ c lights’ or other countries or kidnapped and trafÞ cked Human TrafÞ cking’ , an interview was shown ‘trafÞ c’ in general. Most of these victims do not internally within Kosovo itself. with a victim of trafÞ cking from Albania who know what happens around them once they have been kidnapped and forced into prostitu- Over time the Kosovo media - especially televi- was forced into prostitution in Italy. The inter- tion. sion, considered as the most powerful medium view clearly showed that the victim, now back in Kosovo - has barely reported any investiga- in Albania after 10 years, could not Þ t back The Kosovo media can help now by taking tive story of repatriated survivors of trafÞ cking. into her own family or society. Her life was the initiative to focus more on trafÞ cking and Most of the time they rely on ofÞ cial state- destroyed, but she was helped by the fact that related issues, in order to motivate a funda- ments from different organizations working to her identity was kept conÞ dential - she was mental interest in this area amongst the media combat human trafÞ cking. There is, therefore, able to tell her story without personal repercus- and population. a lack of public knowledge surrounding the sions. The interview served as a positive lesson In addition, the best recommendation to stress Þ ght against trafÞ cking and the context within to the Kosovan media and the wider public is that legal mechanisms, the police and the which trafÞ cking occurs. that sensitivity is required when reporting or considering stories involving victims of traf- judicial system do the utmost to uproot human Recently the Montenegrin media reported that Þ cking. Few Kosovo viewers have the oppor- trafÞ cking in Kosovo in co-operation and co- an ordinary police ofÞ cer arrested a notorious tunity to know more about what is happening ordination with neighbouring countries that and wanted Albanian criminal from Macedo- both inside and outside Kosovo concerning deal with similar problems: combating traf- nia involved in networks of organized crime, trafÞ cking. It is the responsibility of the media Þ cking, identifying, assisting and rehabilitat- including human trafÞ cking, not only in the Bal- to strengthen their position on such issues. ing the victims. kans but also in Europe. This shows that with commitment, this phenomenon can indeed be Problems arise due to the economic and edu- As Kosovo develops, the media will also need uprooted and stopped if international and local cational system in Kosovo. Besides the victims to be more responsible in their reporting on police work hard and with interest to Þ ght of trafÞ cking, some women and female adoles- trafÞ cking and increase the number of related organized crime in Kosovo. cents throughout Kosovo take up prostitution topics in their programme schedules.