Diellza Kukaj, head of the Kosovo Women's Alliance in the Alliance for the Future of Kosovo, said that Prime Minister Albin Kurti's statement on the support of women in Kosovo is another attempt to mask "his big failures regarding gender issues".

Kukaj said that as far as the labor market is concerned, women in Kosovo continue to be one of the most discriminated groups. According to Kukaj, their unemployment rate is alarming and there is very little real effort to create policies that encourage their participation in the economic cycle.

Full reaction of Diellza Kukaj:

Kurti not a word about violence against women!

Prime Minister Kurti's statement on the support of women in Kosovo is another attempt to mask his major failures regarding gender issues. When he says that "women rise, the whole society and the nation rise with them", is he referring to the increase in violence against women and the lack of justice for them? Women in Kosovo face many challenges that cannot be overcome with flamboyant speeches, but require clear, concrete and sustainable action – something that, unfortunately, your government has not adequately addressed.

First, as far as the labor market is concerned, women in Kosovo continue to be one of the most discriminated groups. Their unemployment rate is alarming and there is very little real effort to create policies that encourage their participation in the economic cycle.

- Only 18% of women are active in the labor market, while the rest remain marginalized and excluded from opportunities for economic improvement.

-Over 65% of the informal market is made up of women, who remain exposed to labor rights violations, low wages and outside of any compensation included in your political statistics. Consequently, women's participation in decision-making and in the labor market is among the lowest in Europe.

Second, interventions in protection against violence against women remain superficial.

-In the last four years, over 20 women have been killed under this government. These women, unprotected by the system, were killed by their partners or family members, while the institutions were unable to protect them. The government and institutions have not taken strong measures to stop this systematic violence, and protection for women at risk is almost non-existent.

- Shelters are overcrowded, while the gender equality policy remains only on paper.

Thirdly, while the government takes credit for maternity allowances, some municipalities, such as Rahoveci, under the government of the Alliance, have shown more commitment to women, allocating up to 500 euros from the municipal budget for women who give birth in the CKMF. Don't you believe the government could do more!!?

The representation of women in politics, although it is mentioned as an achievement, is not in line with the essence of equality. We do know that, Simone de Beauvoir says, women who achieve power without challenging the status quo do not represent true equality. Prime Minister, although I am citing figures for the representation of women in your legislature, how many of them effectively deal with the real issues of women? What are the concrete achievements? How many of these women are working to solve the daily problems that the women of Kosovo face? What is missing is a real commitment to making women feel safe, equal and with real opportunities for advancement.

Mr. Prime Minister, gender inequality in Kosovo is deeply rooted in social and economic structures that require more than beautiful words to undo.