Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the Italian Embassy in Pristina, in cooperation with the Jahjaga Foundation, hosted an important event dedicated to the fight against gender-based violence in Italy and Kosovo at the diplomatic mission headquarters.
The event, entitled "Breaking the Silence: Empowering Voices from Italy and Kosovo Against Violence Toward Women", provided an opportunity to inaugurate the red bench - the installation of which was commissioned by Foreign Minister Anontio Tajani for all embassies - that the Italian Embassy in Kosovo decided to dedicate with a plaque to Franca Viola, the first woman in Italy to publicly reject the practice of reparatory marriage in 1966.
The event was opened by speeches by Ambassador Antonello De Riu and the former President of the Republic of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, as well as by the Kosovo Minister of Justice, Albulena Haxhiu.
In his opening speech, Ambassador De Riu pointed out that "Violence against women is often shrouded in silence and forces victims to carry the burden of their traumas alone, out of fear or shame; this silence represents not only a vacuum, but an obstacle to justice and to their psychophysical recovery. That is why it is crucial to break this silence, giving a voice to those who have none and creating a safe space for dialogue and support." The Ambassador concluded with the hope that 'Franca Viola's courage will spur many women to break the silence surrounding gender violence, to build a future in which every woman can live freely and without fear'.
This was followed by an interesting debate - moderated by journalist Donjeta Gashi - on the current situation in Italy and Kosovo of gender-based violence and the response of communities, to which Edi Gusia, Executive Director of the Gender Equality Agency of Kosovo, Jubilea Kabashi, Director of the Safe House in Prizren, Chiara Tagliani, Gender Advisor of Eulex in Kosovo and Kadri Gashi of the SIT Organisation contributed with their interventions.
This meeting with exponents of civil society and institutions allowed for an in-depth analysis of the current situation of the fight against all forms of gender-based violence in Italy and Kosovo, giving rise to a rich debate that highlighted the problems but also the response to them given by the community in both Italy and Kosovo. Fatmire Kollcaku, a member of the Commission for Human Rights, Gender Equality and Victims of Sexual Violence during the War, and the Deputy Minister of Health, Dafina Gexha, were among the guests in the front row. At the end of the discussion, there was a touching musical interlude by flautist Jeta Gerqari, professor and member of the Kosovo Philharmonic.
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