Pristina, May 23, 2022 – Gjilan was the next city where the Ombudsperson met with representatives of civil society organizations, human rights activists and representatives of local institutions, as part of the “Equality for All” campaign.

The discussion was about the human rights situation in the Gjilan region and various issues were opened by the representatives they face in their workplace.

Lack of physical access for people with disabilities continues to be a challenge for this community both in schools and in public institutions. Also, the employment of these persons is another challenge, emphasizing their greater employment in central institutions.

The small number of social workers in the municipality of Gjilan also poses a major challenge for the proper functioning of social services. Also, the participants were asked to create bylaws required by the Law on Child Protection, which acts will bring other protection services for children. Attention was also sought to the position of women working in the private sector and that their position is difficult, such as the lack of contracts and other working conditions.

The Ombudsperson, Mr. Naim Qelaj thanked the participants for the topics they discussed and provided answers to the issues raised. “It’s very important that human rights violations are reported. “We do not have an executive mandate but our pressure can change the situation,” said Mr. Qelaj.

Mr. Qelaj also spoke about the delay of cases in local courts and highlighted it as a systematic violation of human rights.

This roundtable was made possible by the EU project “EU Support to the Ombudsman Institution in Kosovo”.