Young mother Eron C. from Uroševac was only 21 years old when she was killed by her ex-husband. He met with her to return the child to her. After surrendering, he suddenly took out a gun, shot his ex-wife and wounded her brother.
Điljeta U. from Peć, mother of three children, was killed at the age of 42. According to official reports, her killer surrendered to the police saying: "I shot my wife".
Both murders took place in Kosovo in April, just five days apart. Their murders caused horror across the country.
President Vjosa Osmani declared a day of national mourning in memory of women and girls victims of gender-based violence in Kosovo.
But even if many Kosovo citizens were horrified, few were actually surprised.
Activists and human rights organizations have long been condemning the system's failings, due to which women in Kosovo repeatedly become victims of violence. What else needs to happen before something finally changes?
Low penalties for offenders
In recent years, there have been, at least on paper, positive developments. Domestic violence has been a separate criminal offense in Kosovo since 2019. Courts can punish perpetrators with a fine of 100 to 25.000 euros and imprisonment for up to three years.
But to date, many of the sentences have been lenient. The case of Điljeta U. is an excellent example of that. Her killer was known to the police for domestic violence and was sentenced to three months in prison and a fine of one hundred euros in 2022. Given that he paid 300 euros in pride, he avoided three months in prison.
The Minister of Justice, Albulena Hadžiju, wrote on Facebook after the crime: "Previous perpetrators often end up being murderers, because competent institutions do not adequately punish them."
She called an emergency meeting with the interior minister, the police chief, the state prosecutor and other officials.
But activists criticize that such short-term actions do nothing to change the widespread climate of impunity for domestic violence that continues under the current government.
"We need a stronger judicial system, faster procedures and more frequent maximum sentences for perpetrators," says sociologist Bukurije Rustemi.
The police do not take domestic violence seriously
According to police statistics, four women were killed in femicides and 2.120 women were abused in Kosovo last year. It is likely that the actual number of cases is even higher.
Many women do not dare to report the perpetrators - also because of the fear that the police and the judiciary will not take them seriously. In an Amnesty International survey published last August, victims of domestic violence said they were told by the police that their partners' violent behavior was "completely normal".
Intimidation, threats and psychological violence are largely ignored, and the police usually only intervene when there are obvious signs of physical violence, such as bruises.
In most cases, the victims are partially blamed for the resulting situation - with serious consequences, says psychologist Kaltrina Ajeti: "Victims often think that they themselves contributed to the creation of such a situation - that is, they led the abuser to constantly commit violence - that is, to the destruction of the family situation."
This way of thinking is still widespread not only in the police, but also in Kosovo society itself.
A non-violent life? Priceless
Kosovo society and its structures, deeply rooted in patriarchy, are probably one of the main reasons for femicide. "The role of a woman in Kosovo is a housewife and caregiver of children, husband and elderly in the family," says Rustemi.
Male dominance in large parts of society is still difficult for many women to overcome. "They lack education, jobs and economic independence," says Rustemi.
Zana Aslani, head of the Women's House in Pristina, confirms that many women who find the courage to leave an abusive husband later return to him for purely economic reasons.
They simply cannot afford to live independently because they often have no income of their own. In 2021, about 50 percent of men in Kosovo were formally employed. Women only 17 percent.
There is almost no possibility for a woman to build a financially independent life. The property is predominantly owned by men. Women are generally exempt from inheritance.
According to Kosovo law, brothers and sisters have equal rights to inherit. In practice, however, tradition usually applies: only men inherit, and women are left empty-handed. Because they marry into their husband's family - and in doing so, they leave their family, thereby losing their right to vote and inherit.
Tradition often does not allow a return to the parental home - even after a woman has suffered violence. When women marry and go into their husband's family, they practically belong to their husband.
Women who return to their partners after their parents' home refused to accept them back, often suffer from post-traumatic stress disorders and depression, says psychologist Ajeti.
Perpetrators, on the other hand, then usually feel empowered. "The perpetrator is then aware that his partner has no choice and no other way out".
Balkan phenomenon?
However, this does not only happen in Kosovo, says sociologist Rustemi. "Everywhere in the Balkans there are cases of femicide. The patriarchal society is similar everywhere in the Balkans - one could talk about the Balkan mentality".
The situation is worsened by the pervasive experience of violence during the wars of the nineties and the sometimes difficult social situation.
Sociologist, Bukurije Rustemi, cites psychological problems such as psychosis, depression, as well as drug and alcohol consumption and social causes in perpetrators.
"Violence on television and on social networks, especially hate speech, also lowers the moral standards of young men," she says.
But the patriarchal aspect is the most serious and stubborn, she emphasizes. Any attempt by a woman to change this situation is blocked by men.
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