The Ministry of Justice has successfully completed the second round of the “National Programme for the Treatment of Perpetrators of Violence against Women” in Dubrava Prison. It is now being independently delivered by the local staff of the Correctional Service, marking a key step towards institutional ownership and sustainability in addressing domestic violence.
The National Program, based on the Duluth Model of Power and Control, is designed in line with Article 16 of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention). Ten perpetrators of domestic violence successfully completed the six- months programme, which provided a transformative journey aimed at helping the perpetrators adopt non-violent and respectful behaviours in their interpersonal relationships.
The Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu, emphasised that “the National Programme is an important, comprehensive measure to preventing domestic violence, and it should become an integral part of sentencing in such cases. The Ministry of Justice is committed to expanding the National Programme into probation and community setting.”
The initiative continues to reflect Kosovo’s* commitment to combating violence against women and aligns with international standards for prevention, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
The National Programme was developed with the support of the Council of Europe project “Aligning laws and policies with the Istanbul Convention in Kosovo*”.
*All reference to Kosovo, whether to the territory, institutions or population, shall be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 and without prejudice to the status of Kosovo.
