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Kosovo needs greater protection for vulnerable persons in society, says OSCE report
PRISTINA 20 February 2003
PRISTINA, 20 February 2003 - The state of social welfare and the protection of vulnerable persons does not come easily and cheap to Kosovo, but standards are improving, states a new report from the OSCE Mission in Kosovo. The observations on the activities of the Centres for Social Work (CSW) lead to a number of recommendations, especially concerning the rights of children and women.
This is the first overview of the Centres for Social Work in Kosovo. It focuses on the CSWs response to cases involving children who have been victims of abuse or neglect, female victims of domestic violence, trafficked persons and mentally ill persons.
The report states that CSWs seemed unaware of their role to act as a guardian to protect the interests of children or how to respond to neglected children. It also points to problems with having women's rights respected without discrimination in areas of divorce, child custody and property. Other areas of concern in the report include the social service protection afforded to victims of domestic violence, marital rape and sexual violence. The CSWs were also found to be unaware of their obligations to assist women having been the victims of trafficking. Finally the report also mentions that the Centres were not fully aware of their obligations to act on behalf of the mentally ill.
Recommendations are made in three key areas - the development of an institutional and organisational framework, legislative reform, and training and awareness on issues affecting vulnerable groups. These are made to enhance the CSWs capacity to more effectively respond to their legal obligations to high-risk victims.
The report has been given to the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, the ministry responsible for social services in Kosovo, and the Head of UNMiK's Pillar II, the Deputy UN Special Representative for Civil Administration.
The full report can be found on the OSCE Mission in Kosovo website at //www.osce.org/kosovo
The OSCE has the mandate to promote the development of institutions that ensure that human rights and rule of law are respected, and that persons suffering from violations of human right have an effective remedy.
This is the first overview of the Centres for Social Work in Kosovo. It focuses on the CSWs response to cases involving children who have been victims of abuse or neglect, female victims of domestic violence, trafficked persons and mentally ill persons.
The report states that CSWs seemed unaware of their role to act as a guardian to protect the interests of children or how to respond to neglected children. It also points to problems with having women's rights respected without discrimination in areas of divorce, child custody and property. Other areas of concern in the report include the social service protection afforded to victims of domestic violence, marital rape and sexual violence. The CSWs were also found to be unaware of their obligations to assist women having been the victims of trafficking. Finally the report also mentions that the Centres were not fully aware of their obligations to act on behalf of the mentally ill.
Recommendations are made in three key areas - the development of an institutional and organisational framework, legislative reform, and training and awareness on issues affecting vulnerable groups. These are made to enhance the CSWs capacity to more effectively respond to their legal obligations to high-risk victims.
The report has been given to the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare, the ministry responsible for social services in Kosovo, and the Head of UNMiK's Pillar II, the Deputy UN Special Representative for Civil Administration.
The full report can be found on the OSCE Mission in Kosovo website at //www.osce.org/kosovo
The OSCE has the mandate to promote the development of institutions that ensure that human rights and rule of law are respected, and that persons suffering from violations of human right have an effective remedy.