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Kosovo’s Youth Crucial for Future Stability: Security is main concern for youth of all ethnicitie

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Millions of dollars spent reconstructing war-torn Kosovo will have been wasted unless the needs of young Kosovars are urgently addressed, claims a report released today by the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children. "Making the Choice for a Better Life - Promoting the Protection and Capacities of Kosovo Youth" concludes the international community is failing to adequately involve Kosovo's young people in decision-making and reconstruction efforts, with serious implications for the future of the region.

"This is a generation which has known nothing but war," said Jane Lowicki, Senior Coordinator of the Women’s Commission’s Children and Adolescents Project. "The youth of Kosovo are struggling to recover from conflict, while making difficult decisions about their future and that of their communities. Their issues need to be prioritized at all levels so that a peaceful, more tolerant Kosovo can emerge from today’s insecure, militarized society."

Adolescent researchers interviewed almost 300 young Kosovars for the report. Despite Kosovo’s enduring ethnic divide, their interviews revealed that young people from all communities share similar hopes and fears. Almost two years after the NATO bombing of Kosovo, adolescents of all ethnicities still cite security as their main concern. All groups say they are experiencing the pain of loss and all express a desire for freedom.

Albanian girls most fear kidnapping, trafficking and sexual abuse. Serbs and Egyptians (Hashkalija) living in isolated enclaves report hopelessness, lack of freedom of movement and the prevalence of weapons as their top concerns. Few of those interviewed were prepared to acknowledge the suffering of other ethnic groups. Intolerance, violence and insecurity remain pervasive in their lives.

More than half of Kosovo’s nearly 2 million people are under the age of 24. Since the end of the war donors have contributed an estimated $6 million for youth programs in Kosovo, supporting much-needed youth centers and providing psychological support to thousands of young people. Yet youth education and employment needs have not been adequately integrated into economic recovery planning. And although youth groups have undertaken community projects, including town clean-ups and HIV/AIDS awareness sessions, they have not succeeded in creating an influential, non-political voice for young Kosovars, the report finds.

The adolescent survey revealed that many young people are falling through the cracks, particularly girls who do not go to school or who are survivors of sexual violence, minority youth who are the targets of ethnic violence, and boys (and girls) involved in criminal activity.

"The local and international community must address the specific needs of ‘at risk’ youth, but we must also tap into the constructive capacities of young people to aid their recovery and prevent further conflict," said Ms. Lowicki. "Their energy, resilience and optimism may ultimately offer one of the brightest glimmers of hope for a more tolerant and peaceful Kosovo."

SPEAK TO YOUNG KOSOVARS ABOUT THEIR CONCERNS FOR KOSOVO:

You are invited to join Amir Haxhikadrija, President of the Kosovar Youth Council, Dafina Kurti, adolescent researcher, and Jane Lowicki, research coordinator, at a briefing on the findings of "Making the Choice for a Better Life"

WHEN: 1:00 - 2:30 PM, Tuesday January 23, 2001

WHERE: Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children, 122 East 42^nd Street (corner of Lexington), 12^th floor conference room

"Making the Choice for a Better Life" is available on our website: www.womenscommission.org

For more information contact Rachel Watson; phone: 212.551.0959 email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

The Women’s Commission for Refugee Women and Children is the only organization in the United States dedicated solely to speaking out on behalf of refugee women and children. It provides expertise in the areas of reproductive health, protection and participation, asylum issues and refugee children and adolescents, Currently there are almost 34 million refugees and internally displaced civilians worldwide--80 percent of whom are women and children.