Sexual harassment goes unpunished at the University of Prishtina
K2.0 investigation points to yearslong neglect of students' safety concerns.
01/11/2023
By Dafina Halili
Illustrations by Dina Hajrullahu
As class ended one day in 2018, Hana’s professor at the University of Prishtina’s Faculty of Philology asked her to stay behind. Hana felt uneasy about being alone with him. He had repeatedly invited her out for coffee and asked invasive questions about her romantic life. After the other students left, the professor handed a paper back to her and informed her that he had awarded her a perfect score. He congratulated her and extended his hand for a handshake.
Before she knew what was happening, he had cornered her against a desk and was trying to kiss her. She dodged him and hurried out of the room, tears already forming in her eyes.
Like many current or former students of the University of Prishtina who have experienced sexual harassment or assault, Hana (the names of victims of sexual harassment in this article are pseudonyms) was left feeling angry and disoriented.
She didn’t know who to turn to. She’d heard her fellow students deride and cast blame on other victims of sexual harassment and was concerned they’d do the same to her. When she confided in a female professor about the assault, she became even more discouraged. Though Hana wanted to report the professor’s actions, the female professor strongly cautioned against it, pointing out that Hana would likely face backlash and ridicule. Even worse, the female professor convinced her that there would likely be no consequences for the professor who tried to kiss her.
Although Hana didn’t mention the perpetrator’s name, the professor she confided in immediately knew who it was. Professors within the perpetrator’s department were already aware of similar cases, further fueling her doubts about the efficacy of reporting the assault.
Hana concluded that reporting the assault would only leave her open to stigma and potential retaliation. In the end, she did not report it.
Her story isn’t unique.
Another woman informed K2.0 that over a decade ago the same professor had verbally harassed her and persistently asked her out. Current students at the Faculty of Philology confirmed that the professor’s inappropriate behavior towards female students is an open secret.
Five people, including former students, told K2.0 that a whisper network has existed about the sexual misconduct of this professor for almost two decades and one professor at the Faculty of Philology confirmed to K2.0 that students and higher-ups within the department are aware of the professor’s conduct.
But the problem of sexual harassment at the university goes far beyond this one professor. Through a months-long K2.0 investigation, a picture emerges of a university that fails to ensure a safe environment for its students and that routinely protects faculty and staff accused of sexual harassment.
K2.0 has spoken with over 100 current students as well as dozens of professors, activists and officials. Twenty students, either current or past, shared with K2.0 their experiences of sexual harassment on campus. In addition, almost 300 students responded to a survey about sexual harassment and safety on campus, over 80% of whom were women.
The problem of sexual harassment at the university goes far beyond just one professor.
K2.0 found that student victims often felt reluctant to come forward and believed there is a lack of support from university officials. Some said that the severity of their experiences were minimized by university authorities, like when the female professor remarked that what happened to Hana was simply a common occurrence for women.
Fear of retaliation is a significant concern for these victims of sexual harassment or assault, as well as fears of becoming the subject of rumors or gossip.
All of these issues are compounded by the lack of an institutional response.
K2.0 contacted the university Ethics Council, the nine members of the Directing Council, the Rectorate and the Deans of all 14 Faculties to ask whether any staff member has ever faced serious disciplinary actions or dismissal for sexual harassment.
Suzana Manxhuka-Kërliu, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, said that the Medical Faculty Council fired an assistant professor around four years ago after evidence arose that he was sending inappropriate messages to a student.
This is the only case known to K2.0 where a perpetrator of sexual harassment at the university faced serious disciplinary actions.
Almost half of the Deans K2.0 emailed did not respond. Those who responded either reported they were unaware of any sexual harassment claims in their Faculty or did not answer our questions directly. The Ethics Council, Directing Council members and Rectorate did not respond to K2.0’s emails.
K2.0 asked the Dean of the Faculty of Philology Lindita Rugova about Hana’s case and specifically mentioned the professor’s name. Rugova said she has not received any reports, oral or written, about misconduct by this professor.
In 2018, when Hana’s assault occurred, the university had no official policy addressing sexual harassment and no protective measures for people reporting sexual misconduct.
Even since the university’s introduction of the “Regulation for Prevention and Protection from Sexual Harassment” in May 2021, the university’s first sexual harassment policy, many students continue to express reluctance to report sexual harassment. Critics argue that the Regulation is more focused on protecting abusers than preventing harassment or supporting victims, and that it perpetuates a tradition of keeping sexual harassment hidden. The Regulation imposes a strict one-year reporting window for cases, effectively excluding many victims and exacerbating fears of retaliation.
Ultimately, the university’s sexual harassment policy has not encouraged victims to report sexual harassment.
In the survey conducted by K2.0 with over 300 students, one in three students reported experiencing sexual harassment, with around 100 students in K2.0’s survey stating that they had been victims of sexual harassment at the university. Around 90% of survey respondents were current students. According to data from university officials, only three students have reported sexual misconduct since the sexual harassment Regulation came into effect two years ago.
There has been a lack of transparency about even the few cases that have been reported. Though Regulation calls for the results of sexual harassment investigations to be made public, the university has not released any of the information. Nevertheless, K2.0 has learned that the disciplinary actions have been minimal, such as short-term prohibitions on offending professors’ ability to advise student theses.
Illustrating the profound mistrust in the current system, an overwhelming 95% of respondents to the survey believe the university must take more substantial action to address the issue of sexual harassment.
K2.0’s survey and outreach
K2.0 distributed an extensive online survey about sexual harassment at the University of Prishtina. The survey was later distributed in paper form across campus to students from different faculties, by Lëndina Balaj with the help of Melos Selmani, Benhard Ramaja and Eris Zhuja. We received 213 online responses and just over 100 paper responses. Over 80% of the respondents were women.
K2.0 conducted open interviews and conversations with a wide selection of around 100 students from various university departments to gather their experiences. There was a particular focus on faculties located in Prishtina’s city center. These conversations took place one-on-one and in group settings.
Through these conversations and through contact with student activists, K2.0 got in touch with student victims of sexual harassment to conduct extensive one-on-one interviews over an extended period of time.
‘Don’t go there if you don’t want to be harassed’
K2.0’s investigation reveals how students at the University of Prishtina have experienced various forms of sexual harassment from faculty and staff over the years.
Sexual harassment can be verbal, including unwelcome comments, jokes, innuendo or discussions of a sexual nature. This can involve lewd remarks, explicit language or sexually suggestive comments that create discomfort for the target.
It can also occur in the form of quid pro quo, where individuals in positions of authority, such as managers or professors, abuse their power in order to request sexual favors in exchange for benefits or grades.
Many students face non-verbal harassment, which consists of unwelcome gestures, body language or facial expressions of a sexual nature. It may include leering, winking or other actions that make the recipient feel uncomfortable.
There are also reported cases of physical harassment, which involves unwelcome physical contact of a sexual nature. This can range from touching and groping to sexual assault, as in Hana’s case of forced kissing.
Online harassment is increasingly prevalent. Sexual harassment can occur through text messages, email or social media, and may include sending explicit content, online stalking or cyberbullying of a sexual nature.
Survey respondents noted professors as the primary offenders of sexual harassment on campus.
Out of the 100 respondents to the K2.0 multiple choice survey who indicated that they had experienced some form of sexual harassment, about 80% reported verbal harassment while around 45% reported experiencing non-verbal harassment, including sexually suggestive looks or gestures. Around 20% of respondents said they were aware of physical harassment or assault.
Professors were noted as the primary offenders, with respondents pointing to them in 64% of instances, while 36% of cases were administrative staff and 32% was harassment by fellow students (some respondents noted harassment in multiple categories). The experiences of victims and students interviewed by K2.0 also overwhelmingly pointed to academic staff as the main perpetrators.
Last year, Anna, an international scholar, began a one-year teaching fellowship at the university. At the end of her first day, after meeting her new colleagues, one professor tried to invite himself to her hotel room under the pretext of offering her a massage to help her relax after her long flight. She kept silent about the incident, even though she says the experience made her feel unsafe in her new workplace.
Gresa, a current student, has spent years avoiding multiple professors at the Faculty of Arts, where students report that the close nature of artistic collaboration with professors blurs the boundaries between instructor and student. Gresa avoids one professor in particular, a man who holds her hand an uncomfortably long time during handshakes, sometimes gripping too tightly or stroking her fingers suggestively.
Nora, a current student at the Faculty of Philosophy, felt uneasy whenever she had to submit a document to the protocol office, or even pass by in the hall. The administrative employee handling protocol at the Faculty had been sending her repeated messages on social media, to which she never responded. It turned out that Nora wasn’t the only female student to receive unwanted messages from this employee.
In conversations with current and past students and in the responses to our survey, several names of university employees emerged as sexual harassers. Some names were mentioned as harassers by one or two students. Other professors’ repeated sexual misconduct towards students appeared to be common knowledge.
"I was literally told, 'Don't go there if you don't want to be harassed.'"
Nearly every faculty employs at least one man whom students or alumni made credible accusations of sexual harassment about to K2.0, including two professors from the Faculty of Philology, one from the Faculty of Economics, one current and one former professor from the Faculty of Law, one retired professor from the Faculty of Architecture, one from the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, three professors at the Faculty of Arts and one administrative employee from the Faculty of Philosophy.
In addition, women K2.0 spoke to accused one member of the university’s nine-member Directing Council and one Dean of sexual harassment.
And though K2.0 was unable to independently verify claims about a culture of sexual harassment at the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport, two female athletes, one of whom has competed at major international competitions, told K2.0 that they had decided not to enroll at the Sports Faculty due to its reputation.
“I was literally told, ‘Don’t go there if you don’t want to be harassed,'” said one of the women.
Anita Mjeku, an activist with the Student Feminist Movement at the University of Prishtina, said that the presence of sexual harassment in the university environment has long been normalized.
“These issues are open secrets. The fact that we cannot raise them openly is because we often lack concrete evidence or perhaps haven’t adequately reached out to the victims,” she said. “I’ve had an encounter where a university assistant subjected me to an inappropriate gaze, which is a form of harassment. I am also aware of a case where a professor sought sexual favors in return for academic grades. So, everything — from inappropriate stares to explicit solicitations — occurs within our institution.”
Blenda Asllani, a political science student, echoed Mjeku’s sentiments.
“Some professors are notorious among the student community. Phrases like ‘He behaves this way,’ or ‘He makes those types of remarks,’ are commonplace,” she said.
Dorina, a former student, faced unwelcome comments about her appearance and romantic life from a professor at Faculty of Law. She said that students often develop strategies to navigate interactions with potential or known harassers.
“I personally adopted a strategy of presenting a demeanor that is neither overly friendly, to avoid appearing inviting, nor entirely indifferent, to prevent potential retaliation,” she said.
Medical Dean Suzana Manxhuka-Kërliu, who took action against the assistant professor accused of sexual harassment in her Faculty, said that she is convinced there are many more cases of sexual harassment in the university, but that students hesitate to report them “because there isn’t much seriousness about addressing this very serious matter across society.”
Linda Gusia, sociologist and professor at the Faculty of Philosophy, notes that sexual harassment is a concern for universities globally, but that in places with deep-rooted societal norms of sexism and patriarchy the intensity is greater.
“It emerges within the university primarily because it’s intertwined with power dynamics and unequal power relations,” she noted. “Institutions which should be safe spaces are often places where power is abused.”
Sweeping it under the rug
Conversations with students and professors suggest that there was more sexual harassment in the past, particularly more overt assaults or requests for sexual favors.
Remzie Shahini-Hoxhaj, a professor at the Department of Journalism for 17 years, has observed how this change is linked to greater gender discourse at the university, which leads to a more open discussion about sexual harassment.
It's widely believed that student activism and more discussion of gender-related themes at the university has to some extent changed how professors behave with female students.
“This change is partly due to the increased representation of women in decision-making roles within the university, but also the presence of feminist professors, especially when compared to the time when I first started,” she said.
It’s widely believed that the increasing focus on gender-related discussions at the university, coupled with students’ activism and the introduction of the sexual harassment Regulation has to some extent changed how professors behave with female students.
Professors have started keeping their doors open during meetings with students and being more conscientious in other ways. This doesn’t mean sexual harassment has disappeared. Students say that today it’s increasingly discreet: quietly lewd glances, repeatedly liking a student’s Instagram stories.
While some students believe the increased awareness about sexual harassment has made professors more respectful of boundaries, others think it’s simply made potential harassers more fearful of media scrutiny if they are found out, particularly given how phones and technology make it easier to prove sexual misconduct.
Despite the increased focus on the subject, Mjeku notes that the university continues to suppress open discussion about sexual harassment.
On International Women’s Day this year, Mjeku and the Student Feminist Movement planned to unveil a banner with the text “Sexual Harassers Out of UP” at the building housing technical faculties. Mjeku said that Isak Shabani, Dean of the Faculty of Electrical and Computer Engineering, refused to give permission and said that only the Rector could do so, and expressed concerns about damage to the Faculty’s reputation.
Shabani did not respond to K2.0’s questions about Mjeku’s account.
“This example underscores how management keeps quiet and feigns ignorance about sexual harassment,” Mjeku said. “It’s widely known that harassers are present, yet it’s ignored.”
K2.0 reached out by phone and email for comment to around 10 professors who either had been mentioned as supportive to students’ needs or who have commented for the media in the past. Many declined to comment or did not reply to messages.
A few agreed to speak on the condition of anonymity. The professors suggested that they and their colleagues are reluctant to take action when they hear about potential misconduct out of a fear that any story they’ve heard may be unverified or that it is not their place or job to dig into such accusations.
Research indicates that false accusations of sexual harassment are extremely rare.
“It’s just that you don’t want to become involved in an uncomfortable situation where your colleague is implicated, so you choose to stay away,” said one professor from the Faculty of Arts.
The professors K2.0 spoke to on the condition of anonymity voiced concern about the prospect of one of their colleagues, or themselves, potentially facing a false accusation, particularly as, as they said, entire families could be affected.
Research indicates that false accusations are extremely rare, while student accounts indicate that sexual harassment at the University of Prishtina is far from rare.
A number of the professors also stated that they felt that the University of Prishtina is frequently unfairly singled out for negative attention around issues like sexual harassment.
Student activists believe that the university’s lack of transparency around sexual harassment on campus and officials’ reluctance to publicly acknowledge a problem is damaging to the university’s reputation.
University administrator Drita Hyseni has been named the official in charge of implementing the new sexual harassment policies as well as the point of contact for reporting misconduct.
K2.0’s student survey invited them to share their experiences of sexual harassment on campus.
Here are some of their responses:
She told K2.0 in a July interview that since assuming her role in December 2021, three students have reported cases of sexual harassment involving professors. These reports were subsequently passed on to the Ethics Council, which is responsible for reviewing and rendering decisions on such issues.
The Regulation requires harassment cases brought before the Ethics Council to be prioritized, but confidential sources within the university complain that this requirement is not being respected.
Decisions made by the Ethics Council are mandated to be publicly accessible. In accordance with the Law on Access to Public Documents, K2.0 requested access to these decisions from the Ethics Council but did not receive a response.
The university’s sexual harassment Regulation requires Hyseni to present an annual report on sexual harassment cases to the university’s Governing Council each March. This report is also supposed to be made public. No such annual report has yet been filed.
Questioned about her reporting obligations, Hyseni said that she was appointed in December 2021 and felt that March 2022 was too early to present a comprehensive report. She added that this year the university commenced internal research into sexual harassment cases. They are currently awaiting these results and she anticipates reporting on them by the end of this year.
“[Hyseni] is expected to report since we’re unaware of the outcomes of the cases,” said student activist Mjeku. “We’ve requested that decisions involving professors be made public on the university’s page, along with the names of those professors. It’s vital for students to know which individuals have a history of harassment or other sexual offenses within the university so students can be cautious.”
Students noted that they have doubts that perpetrators will be punished.
Hyseni told K2.0 that three verdicts on sexual harassment released by the Ethics Council involve disciplinary measures such as prohibiting the professor from mentoring students’ theses. The cases involved verbal harassment and unwelcome messages.
Such disciplinary actions fall short of what the Regulation stipulates. In cases where sexual harassment has been determined, the Regulation calls for warnings of suspension, temporary suspension and/or termination of the employment relationship.
Students noted that they have doubts that perpetrators will be punished, given that they’re aware of numerous instances of sexual harassment, but not of any consequences.
“Consider someone who endured physical harassment — that’s a traumatic ordeal. How can one report it without assurance of immediate action against the perpetrator by the university?” said a student at the front door of the Faculty of Economics.
Valmira Rashiti, a program officer on gender and rule of law at the Prishtina-based women’s rights organization Kosovo Women’s Network (KWN), thinks that this failure to address sexual harassment in the university mirrors the broader way that violence is understood and addressed in both the public and private domain.
“On one hand, violence is seen as a private matter that should remain within the home. When such cases occur at an institutional level, it’s the same thing. The institution becomes the ‘home’ and violence stays confined within it, with little chance of exposure,” she said.
Without university support, students must deal with their harassers alone and face the risk of retaliation or backlash.
Arta dealt with verbal harassment from a professor on multiple occasions. When she began avoiding the professor, his demeanor towards her became dismissive, leading her to feel isolated and less engaged in class.
“For a year, attending his classes was agonizing. The constant fear that I might not pass the exam was exhausting,” Arta recalled.
The only two cases of harassment in front of the Ethics Council that have been made public, (involving bullying rather than sexual harassment), both involve Professor Bekim Bejta from the Englsih Department. Zana Mala and another student filed a complaint in 2018 detailing systematic psychological abuse and bullying committed by Bejta starting in 2015.
Mala received no update or information from the university about the case until an Ethics Council decision made the following year which stated that Bejta had been issued a written warning for serious disciplinary violations and had been requested to cease disrespectful behavior.
Zana Mala went public with the case this year, and it was only then that the professor was suspended. Bejta resigned before a final verdict could be issued.
“I lost all trust in the institution because of their approach. It became clear that they didn’t want to address this problem seriously. All they seemed interested in was filing a complaint or sending an email, and I realized I couldn’t expect any real action from them. That’s why I went to the media,” Mala said.
The university’s handling of the Bekim Bejta case convinced some students that the institution won’t protect victims unless there is media exposure. Yet, in a culture that often shifts blame onto victims, speaking out about sexual harassment in the media can draw significant backlash.
Gresa, the arts student, said that reporting cases of sexual harassment should remain a private matter, as not everyone may desire media exposure.
“I’m an artist, and some people know me. I’m not sure I want to add the label of being sexually harassed at the Faculty of Arts to my public image, given how it could affect me. You also see other victims who come forward, like those denouncing domestic violence, and all you see in the comments are people blaming them,” Gresa said.
Don’t shut the door behind you
Likely the most widely known instances of sexual harassment on campus involve an employee at the protocol office of the Faculty of Philosophy.
“When visiting the protocol office, students make a point never to shut the door behind them,” philosophy student Blenda Asllani said. “It’s become standard practice. If you mention to someone that you’ve been to that office, the immediate response is often, ‘What did he say to you?’ because it’s a given that he will make a remark about your appearance or even attempt to add you on social media.”
A number of other students independently referred to this particular employee at the protocol office who harasses women, particularly online. It’s from this employee that Nora, mentioned above, was receiving persistent and unwelcome online messages, which she showed to K2.0.
As the whisper network about the protocol office employee grew increasingly loud, the Faculty of Philosophy’s Student Council decided to take action.
Ismet Krasniqi, head of the Student Council, has a history of activism. As a high school student, he played a pivotal role in 2021 protests condemning the sexual abuse of a minor in a Prishtina elementary school.
With an awareness that sexual violence and harassment are commonplace in educational settings, Krasniqi started looking into the issue when he took on his role at the Student Council.
“Personally, I haven’t directly encountered complaints,” Krasniqi said, so he started discreetly reaching out to acquaintances and friends to see if anyone they knew had faced sexual harassment in the university. Eventually he collected testimonies of online sexual harassment from three female students who had been subjected to unwanted advances from the protocol office employee.
Krasniqi tried to help the students navigate the university’s reporting mechanisms for sexual harassment. But the recently implemented Regulation limits the reporting window for sexual harassment to one year and the three students’ cases had occurred over a year prior. They were not allowed to file a complaint.
Krasniqi said that he and the Student Council brought the issue to the attention of the Dean’s Office.
K2.0 asked Dashamir Bërxulli, Dean of the Philosophy Faculty, about the accusations against the protocol office staff member. K2.0 named the individual and noted that we had seen inappropriate messages the individual had sent students in Bërxulli’s Faculty. The email asked if Bërxulli undertook any action in response to the Student Council representative’s claims.
Bërxulli said that the Regulation “does not include Deans as a position that sexual harassment can be reported to” and that it “does not give Deans administrative power to impose measures related to sexual harassment.”
He said that “the Dean’s Office of the Philosophy Faculty, to my knowledge, has not received a denouncement that is in accordance with the spirit of the articles of the Regulation.”
The parts of the Regulaton he cited in the email state that victims can report sexual harassment claims to the Officer for Sexual Harassment Protection or directly to the Rector’s Office through the Ethics Counsel. It does not preclude Deans from taking action in response to reports of sexual harassment.
The university’s sexual harassment Regulation recognizes Kosovo’s “Law on Protection against Discrimination,” as its foundation, but it appears to contradict it. According to the law, the statute of limitations for violations is up to five years.
“When you limit the reporting period to only the last 12 months since the sexual harassment occurred, what about the previous years? Where do the other professors stand? They’ve been granted amnesty,” said Ariana Qosaj, a gender expert, who has been involved with women’s rights activism for over twenty years. “It discourages victims.”
Gresa was subjected to harassment during her first year at the Faculty of Arts, a period when students are especially susceptible to misconduct and hesitant to report it. For many, it takes time to recognize sexual harassment for what it is, navigate the bureaucracy and ultimately feel empowered to seek help.
Ardita Maçastena, a law student, said that after her first year she learned who to avoid, how to interact with professors and how to ensure there were witnesses if anything happened.
“I’m consistently prepared to guard myself, which is not the reality for first-year students,” she said.
KWN is similarly critical of the university’s reporting window for sexual harassment.
“We find the one-year timeframe completely unacceptable,” said KWN’s Valmira Rashiti. “Women often make the decision to report later in life, once they are established and perhaps even in a more supportive environment. Imposing a limit on the timeframe for reporting is unnecessary.”
One KWN research report about survivors of sexual harassment shows that victims coming from more patriarchal societal contexts take longer to report abuse due to a culture of victim-blaming.
Selvi Izeti, a clinical psychologist at the Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT), believes that from a psychological standpoint, it’s neither fair nor rational to impose time limitations on such matters. Trauma is a complex process that varies from person to person, she said, and different people take different amounts of time to come forward and report it.
“There exists a culture of silence and concealment of harassment or sexual violence. This is because victims silently endure the trauma of this type of crime, fearing disbelief and prejudice,” Izeti said. “Therefore, victims need time to process the trauma, understand the seriousness of what happened, and gather the strength to seek justice.”
A flawed sexual harassment policy
In 2018, a TV segment on sexual harassment at the University of Prishtina caused a stir when then-Prorector Teuta Pustina-Krasniqi made comments about female students’ attire that suggested that victims of sexual harassment are to blame for being targeted. In response, students and activists demanded Pustina-Krasniqi’s resignation as well as a public apology from the university for its perceived indifference to harassment cases.
They also called for the development of a university-wide policy to combat harassment. During the protests, former student Jeta Berisha shared her experience of being sexually harassed by a professor at the Faculty of Arts and how the Dean had advised her to remain silent after she reported it. In response to the outcry, the Rectorate established a working group to draft a sexual harassment policy, with Professor Linda Gusia, a long-time advocate for such regulations, being invited to join by then-Rector Marjan Demaj.
“It was a small victory for us, given the intense resistance from our colleagues. Establishing the Regulation meant admitting the existence of sexual harassment and that was a significant step to overcome,” Gusia said. “We had many difficult discussions within the university about sexual harassment, and about acknowledging our responsibility to address it and create a safe environment for students.”
Njomza Llullaku — Prorector for Accreditation, Teaching Quality and Student Affairs, and a pivotal figure in addressing sexual harassment within the institution — concurs with Gusia.
“With the Regulation the university said, ‘we have sexual harrassment.’ Now [students] know how to make complaints,” she said.
She observed that prior to the Regulation, addressing sexual harassment was difficult since there was no standard policy and definition.
“With the definition of sexual harassment often being misconstrued given the patriarchal nature of our culture, the absence of the Regulation left things up to individual responsibility or personal awareness,” said Llullaku. “However, the Regulation now sheds light on the fact that addressing sexual harassment isn’t merely a personal choice but an integral part of academic integrity. Cultural norms cannot be invoked as justification.”
The sexual harassment Regulation came into effect in May 2021. However, the final version approved by the university didn’t fully incorporate the suggestions made by feminist professors and activists. Initially, a diverse group comprising representatives from women’s rights organizations and professors, including Gusia, collaborated on the draft. The university then established a smaller group consisting primarily of female law professors and legal professionals. This second group included Ariana Qosaj, who was representing civil society as a gender expert.
The initial group, largely made up of feminist activists and professors who were primarily women, recommended progressive provisions in line with the Law on Protection against Discrimination. They proposed a reporting window of five years and that the burden of proof should rest with the accused party rather than the victim.
When the draft was circulated for broader review among academic staff and the rectorate, there was significant opposition. Male professors, especially from the Faculty of Law, resisted these proposals, as Qosaj recalls.
“It felt like a mobilization of men,” she said.
After extended deliberations, feminist representatives were surprised to find that the university had published the Regulation, but a version that contained provisions such as a one-year window for reporting misconduct and splitting the burden of proof on both parties.
Qosaj said these provisions fail to take into account the significant power imbalance between professors and students, particularly professors’ ability to retaliate.
She said they “disregard the fact that the victim is often in a vulnerable position, reliant on an authority who wields power and influence.”
“Naturally, the victim may feel discouraged.”
'How can you prove an inappropriate handshake?'
Nora, who faced harassment from the protocol office employee, had saved messages from him as evidence. But many other women reported being alone during their experiences and thus lacked tangible evidence. Gresa who experienced sexual harassment in one-to-one meetings said that the request for evidence makes her feel intimidated.
“How can you prove an inappropriate handshake? Am I expected to wear a chip in my hand to measure how long a professor holds it?” she said.
Maçastena, the law student, sees the measure as an attempt to shield the perpetrator.
“The university expects us to be on guard constantly, poised to capture evidence of harassment,” she said.
But Qosaj emphasized other concerns. She highlighted the Regulation’s statement that false declaration or denunciation is a criminal offense.
“This is another barrier rendering this mechanism ineffective. Victims often refrain from reporting their experiences due to a fear of criminal prosecution, which discourages them from coming forward,” she said.
While the Regulation stresses that false reporting is a criminal offense, it doesn’t clearly state that sexual harassment is, even though it’s defined as such in the country’s criminal code. It ambiguously mentions that the processes detailed in the Regulation can be conducted separately or alongside criminal procedures.
“The entire approach is administrative,” said Valmira Rashiti of KWN. “It’s essential to emphasize that this is a criminal matter, students should know they can seek redress directly with the authorities.”
Systems are shaped by individuals
Many students express a lack of knowledge about the Regulation and felt that too little has been done to disseminate information about the new sexual harassment reporting mechanisms. Student activists attribute this issue to the excessive burden placed on administrator Drita Hyseni.
In addition to her primary role as the official responsible for implementing the new sexual harassment policies — which includes serving as the point of contact for reporting concerns and raising awareness — she is also an administrative adviser to the university’s Directing Council.
Some question whether a single person can effectively manage the university’s sexual harassment issues, especially given Hyseni’s multiple roles in the university. Activists are calling for the office, which is currently located in the Rectorate building, to have multiple locations in faculty buildings across the city.
During a July interview, Hyseni expressed confidence that the university had successfully disseminated information to students regarding her office and its functioning.
“I believe we successfully communicated to students about the Regulation. The dissemination of information was done appropriately, and we conducted information sessions,” Hyseni said.
Though an information session was held in every faculty, the majority of students K2.0 spoke to felt that these sessions didn’t adequately inform them about Hyseni’s role or the Regulation itself.
“Students are largely unaware because there wasn’t a comprehensive awareness campaign. The university didn’t take the necessary steps to inform us,” said Mjeku from the Student Feminist Movement.
Mjeku feels the university remains hesitant to fully acknowledge the issue of sexual harassment. She pointed to a campaign launched in September that involved posting QR code stickers reading “Report the case” all around campus. The QR code links to information about sexual harassment policies at the university.
“My question is what case to report? It can be anything. From cleanliness problems in bathrooms to sexual harassment,” Mjeku said. “These stickers are specifically for sexual harassment and harassment. Not specifying sexual harassment is a problem, because there is a tendency to avoid the term.”
Respondents to K2.0’s survey indicated a general lack of knowledge about the Regulation and its stipulations.
When asked if they received adequate training from the university regarding sexual harassment, 75% said they hadn’t undergone any training, 18% felt the training was minimal. Only 4% believed it was comprehensive.
Asked whether they’d seen preventive measures or awareness campaigns on sexual harassment, 51% said they felt that the university wasn’t actively promoting these measures or campaigns while 12% responded that they’d seen informative material.
Survey responses from students about sexual harassment on campus:
A day after K2.0 launched its survey in May, the university began distributing their own internal survey on sexual harassment, an initiative championed for some time by Llullaku, the Prorector for Accreditation, Teaching Quality and Student Affairs. K2.0 observed an uptick in student awareness about university sexual harassment policies after the release of the university’s survey. Recently, the university added a section on the electronic student management system for reporting sexual harassment, along with access to an information brochure, the Regulation and relevant contact information.
When Llullaku was asked in July about the research findings she could share, she pointed out what she sees as a lack of students’ trust in the system. While many students are ready to state that they are aware of someone else experiencing sexual harassment on campus, she said, “students were less likely to say, ‘Harassment happened to me.'”
Llullaku outlined a comprehensive plan to address this issue, including awareness-raising initiatives, student focus groups and discussions with academic staff. After understanding students’ needs and consulting with colleagues and experts, she said that the university aims to take steps to update the Regulation.
She also emphasized the need for the university to establish a counseling office, located off-campus, where victims can safely receive psychological support.
“We cannot halt these changes now. People have agreed that this topic will be part of the university until safe spaces are created,” she said, “but it needs to be an open debate in partnership with the staff.”
Mjeku from Student Feminist Movement says that when confronted with bureaucracy and a lack of support, the initial step is for victims to realize they are not alone.
“They should feel supported, knowing they have the right to report their case, and at no point should the institutional approach make them feel guilty or endangered,” she said.
Linda Gusia emphasized that, in the context of Kosovo, sexual harassment must be seen within a broader spectrum of violence, one that needs to be addressed beyond the university’s sexual harassment Regulation.
“Sexual harassment falls within the spectrum of gender-based violence. We must recognize that underlying it is a system that tolerates violence on the streets, at home and within institutions,” Gusia said. “We create a Regulation, we keep the door open with students. It is a small thing you do but this is how you instill a culture of transparency and accountability. When you instill a culture that is aware of power, you instill a culture that is aware that power can be abused.”
She added that updating the Regulation is something that can be achieved, but transforming a culture where sexual harassment has long been seen as normal will require years.
“The reason sexual violence and harassment are among the least reported crimes is primarily because victims often face re-victimization by the system, regardless of the safeguards put in place by regulations,” she said. “A system is fundamentally shaped by its people.”
Meanwhile, Hana continued her pursuit of a master’s degree, actively avoiding classes taught by the professor who had tried to kiss her.
“He is still there sadly, and I don’t feel hate anymore, just disgust,” she said. “I hope what happened to me doesn’t happen to other students anymore, and if it does, I hope they speak out, because I’ve often felt guilty that I didn’t.”
With reporting contributions from Lëndina Balaj.