Action for Mothers and Children (AMC) is carrying out the nine-month project “Strengthening the Health System’s Response to Gender-Based Violence in Kosovo” between 1 September 2026 and 31 May 2027. The project falls under the European Union-funded JUST REACT 2.0 Small Grant Scheme, implemented by the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS).

Kosovo’s legal and policy provisions addressing gender-based violence (GBV) have been reinforced through instruments including the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, the National Strategy on Protection Against Domestic Violence and Violence Against Women 2022-2026, and Law No. 08/L-185. Guidelines for Health Professionals on GBV, developed by the Ministry of Health, address primary, secondary and tertiary care and set out formal duties for reporting and referrals. Nevertheless, the project highlights significant shortcomings in implementation: concerns about providers’ confidentiality and protection, insufficient capacity for training and oversight, and practical obstacles within reporting and referral processes.

The project seeks to establish a systematic, evidence-based understanding of how the existing Ministry of Health Guidelines for Health Professionals on GBV and the official reporting pathway operate in Kosovo’s primary healthcare system. Its findings will inform evidence-based advocacy. Alongside this work, a safely designed GBV awareness module will help women attending AMC’s Mothers’ Classes access information about their rights and referral options.

For the community awareness component, AMC will create a brief GBV awareness module suitable for safe integration into its established Mothers’ Classes. Women will receive information about GBV, rights provided by Kosovo’s legal framework and available referral routes, with delivery guided by “do no harm”, voluntary participation, confidentiality and safety principles. AMC therefore intends to engage an external expert to prepare both the module and practical facilitator guidance.