Sexual Harassment in Kosovo

Sexual Harassment at Work
A report published by European Commission on sexual harassment at work found that
approximately three out of four women in “a professional capacity or in top management jobs” had
suffered sexual harassment in their lifetime while at work. 94 Further, “one in four of these women have
been confronted with sexual harassment in the 12 months prior to the […] survey.” Young women,
women with lower levels of education and temporary workers also may be more at risk of
harassment. 95 Men tend to comprise the majority of perpetrators, holding positions as colleagues or
supervisors. In the EU, the incidence of sexual harassment appears to be related to the sex ratio of the
occupation: “women in male-dominated jobs have more experience of sexual harassment than women
in balanced or female-dominated jobs.” 96
Little research exists on sexual harassment at work in Kosovo. KGSC found in 2010 that 9% of
civil servants have been sexually harassed more than three times, while an additional 7.6% were victims
of sexual harassment once. 97 KGSC reported that 80% of victims were women, while 70% of
perpetrators were men. Civil servants ages 21 to 35 were more likely to be harassed, whereas
harassers tended to be ages 35 to 41.
KWN’s aforementioned survey data also suggest that sexual harassment occurs at work in
Kosovo, perpetrated by supervisors as well as co-workers (see Graph 11). It is difficult to know
precisely how widespread such harassment is, considering the recurring issue of under-reporting. Amid
Kosovo’s high unemployment rates, 98 people may not report sexual harassment (even in a social
survey) for fear of losing their jobs, even though firing someone when they report harassment is
arguably prohibited by Kosovo law. 99
Sexual Harassment at School
Several instances of educators allegedly sexually harassing
students in Kosovo recently have been published in media, including
stories about court cases initiated. For example, in 2015, two cases
in Mitrovica and Malishevo high schools were reported to police.
The case in Malishevo involved a teacher allegedly sexually harassing
one of his students via social media. 100
“While I was working as a
teacher, a student complained
about being sexually harassed
by another teacher.”
- Woman, age 43, Mitrovica
“Professors won’t give you
a grade without you going
to their office.”
- Woman, age 40, Gjilan
Only 2.4% of survey respondents said that a teacher had touched them in a sexual way that
made them feel uncomfortable at some point in their lifetimes, and four respondents said this had
happened in 2014. While the reporting of sexual abuse by
teachers was low in general, slightly more women (2.4%) than
men (1.7%) reported being touched in sexual way by their
teachers when they were younger. For three respondents,
sexual harassment by teachers occurred 1-4 times in 2014 and
for one respondent 5-11 times. While both women and men
experienced sexual harassment from teachers, women
comprised a slight majority of persons affected. Considering the sensitivity of this question, underreporting
may exist.
94 FRA, Violence against women: an EU-wide survey: Results at a glance, 2014, pp. 12-13.
95 European Commission, Sexual Harassment in workplace in the European Union, EC, 1998.
96 Ibid.
97 KGSC, Perceptions of civil servants regarding sexual harassment in the workplace, Prishtina: KGSC, 2011. The research
involved surveying 200 employees of the civil service at the central level and 300 employees at the local level in March-June
2010. The sample included civil servants from all levels of the administration and an equal number of female and male
respondents. When asked if sexual harassment is present in public institutions in Kosovo, 35.6% of respondents believed it
was present, 41.6% said “somewhat present”, 12.9% “not present”, and 9.7% did not know.
98 See Labour Force Surveys.
99 Law on Gender Equality, Art. 4, para. 6 forbids victimization.
100 Newsbomb, Arrestohet nje tjeter mesues ne Kosove per ngacmim, 27 March 2015, at:
http://www.newsbomb.al/index.php/rajon/item/7157-arrestohet-nje-tjeter-mesues-ne-kosove-per-ngacmim-seksual.
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