On 2 October 2025 in Pristina, the conference “Judicial dialogue for an effective judicial response to all forms of violence against women” brought together over 60 representatives of key judicial institutions, including the Supreme Court, Court of Appeal, basic courts, prosecutor’s offices, as well as representatives of relevant local authorities, embassies, international organisations and civil society.
Enver Fejzullahu, Director of the Academy of Justice, highlighted progress in strengthening legal professionals’ knowledge on violence against women and domestic violence. He noted that, with the support of the Council of Europe, the training curriculum has been restructured into a comprehensive civil and criminal programme aligned with local legislation, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (known also as the Istanbul Convention), European standards and international best practices.
In her opening remarks, Mary Ann Hennessey, Head of the Council of Europe’s Office in Pristina, emphasised the importance of judicial dialogue and coordination, noting that ineffective prosecution leads to impunity, costing women their lives and denying victims their justice.
The conference addressed key challenges in adopting victim-centred, gender-sensitive approaches and ensuring perpetrator accountability. Participants identified priorities including enhanced training, stronger inter-sectoral cooperation, awareness-raising on the impact of impunity and lenient sentencing and expanded treatment programmes to prevent reoffending.
The conference concluded that coordinated, informed and accountable judicial action is essential to protect women and ensure justice for victims.
The conference was organised by the Council of Europe projects “Aligning laws and policies with the Istanbul Convention in Kosovo*” and Support to the Constitutional Court in Applying and Disseminating European Human Rights Standards – Phase II - Council of Europe Office in Pristina in cooperation with the Academy of Justice.
