The Embassy of Italy in Pristina and the Council of Europe office in Pristina, under the project “Reinforcing the fight against violence against women and domestic violence in Kosovo* (phase III)", marked the 11th anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (the Istanbul Convention) by organising a hybrid roundtable on violence against women in the digital dimension.
The roundtable had a three-fold objective:
- Raise awareness in recognising and identifying the alarming phenomenon of the digital dimension of violence against women and its various forms.
- Initiate dialogue among stakeholders on taking action in providing a holistic response to digital violence against women.
- Provide concrete recommendations and best practices on measures to combat the digital dimension of violence against women.
The event was opened by the words of Tankut Soykan, Deputy Head of the Council of Europe Office in Pristina, Ambassador Antonello De Riu from the Italian Embassy in Pristina and Dr. Nita Shala, Deputy Minister of Justice and National Coordinator against Domestic Violence, who emphasised the importance of the Istanbul Convention.
A panel of international experts then took the floor. Andriana Kostopoulou, GREVIO’s Second Vice-President, delivered a presentation on the General Recommendation No.1 on the digital dimension of violence against women; and Olivia Soave, Senior External Relations Manager at Kaspersky, focused on technology solutions for combating online gender-based violence.
The panel of local stakeholders composed by Ms. Nazlie Bala, Political Advisor to the Minister of Justice, Ms. Sevdije Morina, Deputy Chief Prosecutor, State Prosecutor Office, Ms. Edi Gusia, Executive Director, Agency for Gender Equality, Ms. Luljeta Demolli, Executive Director, Center for Gender Studies and Mr. Mentor Hoxhaj, President of NGO Cybersecurity and Privacy, then discussed the current situation and identified further steps to be undertaken in the short and long term in order to address this phenomenon.
A vivid discussion took place during the roundtable highlighting the complexity of this phenomenon and the importance of inter-institutional coordination and cooperation in providing a holistic response.
* 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.