The cycle of trainings for the development of the professional capacities of lawyers on the international and national legal framework for protection from domestic violence, has continued with a one-day training held in Gjakovë. 42 lawyers from this region, licensed by the Kosovo Bar Association (KBA) participated in the training conducted by EUKOJUST Long-Term Expert on Project for Public Legal Education / Domestic Violence and Marginalized Groups, Bardhë Krasniqi.
The training “The role of lawyers in representing victims of domestic violence”, held earlier in other Kosovo regions, also aims to develop the soft skills of lawyers to understand the dynamics of domestic violence situations. The training is organized as part of the continuing legal education program under the umbrella of the KBA.
It was discussed on the the need to implement human rights standards such as the Istanbul Convention, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, The European Convention on Human Rights and the use of the judicial practice of the European Court of Human Rights in the jurisprudence of Kosovo as well as the new standards foreseen in the new Code of Criminal Procedure which will be implemented in 2023.
The training enhanced the standard of practice for lawyers dealing with domestic violence cases, and those dealing with other general cases, by equipping them with the necessary tools to deal with domestic violence or to screen for domestic abuse and to provide with appropriate legal advice when domestic violence is identified as a problem.
The participants positively evaluated the training from which they benefited both from a professional point of view and from the trainer’s good experience.
The training was organized within the specific objective of the EUKOJUST project to strengthening access to justice for all citizens in Kosovo, especially in the field of domestic violence and vulnerable or marginalized groups.
Until now, EUKOJUST has trained over 260 lawyers in four regions of Kosovo, and the last training was held within the “16 days of activism” campaign against gender-based violence.
