In line with its commitment to implement the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Agenda, over the past month and through several activities, the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) has supported the crucial work of the Association of Women of the Kosovo Police in empowering women within the Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Correctional Service, enhancing their representation in leadership roles and, ultimately, promoting gender equality.

The discussions and workshops focused on ways to counteract biases and stereotypes related to women’s participation in security sector institutions, the importance of women’s leadership and mentoring programmes, as well as professional development content-based topics. In particular:

On 11 April, in Pristina, the Mission supported a focused discussion with 20 female police officers on the importance of professional development programmes and advancement to decision-making levels within the Police, in order to ensure equal representation at leadership level and effective involvement in the shaping of security policies.

On 30 April, in Mitrovica, the Mission supported a training on the role of women in society and the impact of social changes for 25 female police officers from the entire Mitrovica region. The aim of the training was to highlight the importance of women’s role in security sector institutions in order to effectively adapt to society changes and ensure understanding of the needs of communities. The discussion also touched upon how to counteract biases and stereotypes associated to women’s participation in security sector.

Finally, on 5 and 6 May, two additional content-based trainings on online misogyny and cybercrimes were delivered to around 50 officers from both the Association of Women in the Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Correctional Women Association in order to strengthen their response capability.

EULEX will continue to advocate and work towards increased women’s presence in security sector institutions in order to achieve a full representation of the diverse communities they serve, enhancing protection mechanisms, as well as ensuring that women have an active role in shaping security sector work and policies.