OSCE Kosovo Mission campaign tackles gender inequality in property and inheritance rights

PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, 7 December 2015 – The OSCE Mission in Kosovo launched a campaign to raise awareness on the existing gender divide in property and inheritance rights today in Prishtinë/Priština.

The campaign includes TV and radio spots and will run for two weeks.

“The aim is to make the general public, especially women, more aware of their rights to property, with focus on inheritance and joint marital property,” said Jean-Claude Schlumberger, the Head of the OSCE Mission in Kosovo, launching the campaign before members of women caucuses from the central and local level.

“For the OSCE, the fact that only about 8% of the registered property in Kosovo is owned by women is concerning. We have been working intensively to address this issues at all levels of society. The ability to own property and have equal access to inheritance is a step in the right direction to empowering women and making them economically independent,” he added.

The campaign follows the presentation of Information Guide on Women and Men’s access to property and housing rights between September and November 2015 in all Kosovo regions. The guide is an important information tool for women caucuses at local level, municipal officers for gender equality, cadastral office and other local and central institutions working in this field.

The campaign material in Albanian and Serbian languages is available here: //www.osce.org/kosovo/206731

The OSCE Mission in Kosovo is mandated with human rights protection and promotion, democratization and public safety sector development. The campaign is part of the Mission’s support to strengthen compliance of the justice system with international and human rights standards.