​KKSGJ: Women from communities, the most discriminated against in the workplace

Women from the Roma, Ashkali, Egyptian and LGBTQI communities are the ones who are being discriminated against the most in their workplaces, facing challenges in terms of sustainable employment, it was said on Wednesday in the publication of the Document "Gender Discrimination in the Labor Market in Kosovo" by the Kosovo Center for Gender Studies.

The author of the report, Lavdi Zymberi, said that sexual harassment in the workplace has also been encountered in these communities, and that it has not been reported, according to her, due to fear of losing their jobs, KP reports.

"According to our findings, both from the report and the focus group, they show that many women, especially women who come from the Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities or from the LGBTQI community but also those with disabilities, face many challenges in terms of employment, especially sustainable employment but also equal treatment in the workplace.

"Communities have mentioned sexual harassment as a common occurrence in the workplace, however it is not reported enough due to fear of punishment," said Zymberi.

Meanwhile, the executive director of KKSGJ, Luljeta Demolli, added that for years, the country's institutions have not had maximum commitment to fighting gender discrimination at work, and to creating a new labor law.

"For years, our institutions have not had maximum commitment and have never taken it upon themselves to create a new labor law and address the issues more urgently. The citizens of Kosovo already know the countries of Europe, they know how good it is to be a worker, in the sense that rights are protected, and we would like such a spirit to be in Kosovo, in our laws," Demolli added.

This position paper was produced with the support of the European Union Office in Kosovo through the project "Advancing gender equality and diversity through the elimination of gender-based discrimination in the workplace", implemented by the Kosovo Center for Gender Studies and the Kosovo Initiative for Stability.