ADVOCACY AND LOBBYING

Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims is strongly committed to advocacy and lobbying activities. Through its activities, KRCT tries to influence and change public perceptions and influence policy decisions for the benefit of its target groups. Thereby, KRCT has considerably advocated on the following themes and issues:

 

KRCT has advocated for the amendment of law on civil victims of war to recognize the sexual violence victims within this law;

 

KRCT has leaded the process of preparing the application form for the status of victims of sexual violence during war;

 

Are offered dozens of trainings/seminars on awareness raising and documentation of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo with the participation of community, survivors, relevant organizations, public institutions etc.;

 

KRCT has contributed in advancing the so-called procedural guarantee against ill-treatment of persons sentenced in correctional institutions;

 

KRCT has contributed in the process of the Draft-law on Mental Health based on the main findings, recommendations and standards or best practices in this field;

 

KRCT has contributed in drafting administrative acts by MLSW regarding the treatment of persons with mental disabilities as well as in bylaws of Ministry of Health and Correctional Service on treatment of sentenced/detained persons derived by Law on Execution of Penal Sanctions;

 

KRCT has provided the Correctional Service of Kosovo with a draft guidance that determines the basic rules and principles for the functioning of internal mechanism of complaints;

 

KRCT, in cooperation with Dignity – Danish Institute against Torture, during 2012-2014 has offered specific trainings for staff members of health services in correctional institutions in the Istanbul Protocol manual for identification and reporting of torture and other forms of ill-treatment of persons in places of detention. The Istanbul Protocol is aplied nowadays by Health Service in the correctional institutions in Kosovo;

 

Through its profesional services, KRCT has assisted continuously persons of concern to UNHCR: asylum seekers, refugees, returnees, internally displaced persons and statelessness persons.