KOMF and SOS Children’s Villages presented proposals for the protection of children from violence at the meeting of the National Coordinator, Minister Donika Gërvalla, with non-governmental organizations and shelters

In her capacity as the National Coordinator for Protection from Domestic Violence, Violence against Women and Gender-Based Violence, Minister Donika Gërvalla held a joint meeting with representatives of non-governmental organizations and shelters.

During the meeting, Minister Gërvalla announced the beginning of the process of planning priorities for the National Strategy 2027–2031 and invited organizations to contribute with recommendations and concrete proposals.

KOMF presented a series of recommendations, emphasizing the need to strengthen the prevention component through the establishment and expansion of preventive programmes and services for the protection of children and the empowerment of families.

The main recommendations presented included:

• Establishment of family counselling centres in municipalities, in accordance with the Law on Social and Family Services;
• Development and implementation of positive parenting programmes, as provided for in the Law on Social and Family Services;
• Increased inspection and supervision to ensure the effective implementation of the Protocol for the Prevention and Referral of Violence in Pre-University Education Institutions;
• Establishment of a free child protection helpline within the Office of the Prime Minister for Good Governance, as provided for in the Law on Child Protection;
• Establishment of child protection houses, based on the Law on Child Protection;
• Determination of unit costs for each social service, as a prerequisite for developing procedures for the procurement of social services from the non-governmental sector;
• Adoption of the Law on Local Government Finance, with the aim of creating a dedicated grant for social and family services and ensuring the financial sustainability of social service providers.

KOMF remains committed to contributing to the strengthening of the child and family protection system in Kosovo.