On 26 September, EULEX’s Gender Advisor, Chiara Tagliani spoke at the “No means no – sexual violence and harassment of women” debate organized by the Media Center in Čaglavica/Çagllavicë. This important discussion also included representatives from the Ministry of Justice, the Institution of the Ombudsperson of Kosovo, NGO Kosovo Women’s Network and NGO “Ruka Ruci”.

Tagliani highlighted the main findings of the EULEX’s monitoring report “Assessment of the Handling of Rape Cases by the Justice System in Kosovo”, which sparked high interest from media representatives particularly on the aspects of delays in proceedings and low sentences.

An alarming fact that was highlighted by Tagliani during the discussion was the high number of sexual violence victims who are minors, a finding that is included in the Mission’s monitoring report. “The statistical data we obtained show that 85 % of victims of sexual violence are minor girls,” said Tagliani.

Tagliani also stressed that EULEX, in cooperation with the Institute of Forensic Medicine, has implemented the “Speak Up on Time” campaign, which focuses on the importance of biological evidence preservation in sexual violence cases.