Sexual Harassment in Kosovo

women reported experiencing it compared to only 24.3% of men. 90 Individuals ages 18-25 were more
likely to have experienced sexual harassment in 2014, whereas persons ages 46 and older were less
likely to have experienced it. 91
More violent forms of harassment that
would be considered crimes under Kosovo law
were less prevalent or reported less by
respondents: 4.8% of women and 3.7% of men
said they suffered sexual assault in 2014. Slightly
more said that someone grabbed or touched
them (4.8% of women and 3.7% of men).
“I was in the third grade when me and my
two female friends were followed and chased
by some older boys. We managed to escape,
but I’m still traumatized when I remember
it, and it still concerns me as an issue.”
- Woman, age 23, Prishtina
Street harassment seems much more prevalent for women (see Graph 7). One in three women
(34.2%) compared to only 1.6% of men had someone honk a vehicle horn at them while walking down
the street in 2014. Further, 46.4% of women and only 3.9% of men had someone whistle at them;
26.4% of women and 3.3% of men had someone follow them; 20.1% of women and 4.7% of men had
someone block their path; and 46.5% of women compared to only 4.2% of men had unwanted
comments made towards them in the street. Additionally, 11.3% of women and 3.1% of men said
someone made sexually explicit comments to them. 92
90 KWN used a Chi-square test and a correlation analysis at a 95% confidence level which showed that there is a significant
correlation between gender and experiencing sexual harassment in 2014.
91 KWN found a statistically significant correlation at a confidence level of 95% with gender and age. No statistically significant
relationship seems to exist between having experienced sexual harassment in 2014 and the age groups 26-35 and 36-45; living
in a rural or urban residence; or with persons of a particular ethnicity.
92 In one instance a man recalled a woman approaching him and offering prostitution services, which he considered a form of
harassment (man, age 19, Peja, KWN survey, 2015).
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