"My story, my dignity", is the title of the book with stories of women with disabilities and single mothers of children with disabilities, which was published today.

The book is a narrative compilation of the stories of women with disabilities. The 18 women who have told their stories in this book talk about the battle with their family, society, and institutions.

They are physically disabled, blind, deaf or single mothers who talk about the challenges of taking care and raising their children. The book was produced by the Center for Innovation and Development by the author Shqipe Pajaziti.

The ideator of the project, Ardiana Bytyqi, has talked more about the purpose and content of the book.

"This is a book that reflects the suffering of disabled women and girls and single mothers of disabled children. The idea has been to create an instrument to raise general, but also institutional awareness that we have two categories that are extremely sensitive in a very sensitive community. During my work over the years, in the community of people with disabilities, in addition to being a very sensitive community in terms of access to services, as in access to educational opportunities, employment, and faced with many other different challenges, there are two categories within community that are even more sensitive. Women and girls with disabilities who, beyond all challenges, also face discrimination and other difficulties to ensure their well-being", said Bytyqi.

Also present at this promotion of the book was the chairwoman of the Committee on Human Rights, Dude Balje.

Speaking about the challenges faced by these people, Balje said that in some parts of the country there are still people who are reluctant to show that they have disabled people in their families, for which she called for this taboo to be removed and for them to be accepted.

"We are talking a lot about people with disabilities, maybe not a lot about women and girls of this category, but again, we in the Assembly are seeing this as a general problem. However, we have not done much in this direction, we are able to discuss, invite competent persons, but it does not depend on us as MPs, but it depends on the government. But, again, we do not remove the responsibility that we have... We in the municipality of Prizren have 30 villages in which people with disabilities live. I am sorry to say that we have some families, girls who are disabled, have not yet left their house, the parents do not talk about them, and when I want to go visit them at home, there is still a hesitation, they are happy for the visit, but they say that you don't need to waste your time as a member of parliament, it's okay. So, it's still taboo for us to accept it", said Balje.

The author of the book, Shqipe Pajaziti, has talked more about the content of the book. She said that this book contains 18 stories of women with disabilities and single mothers who have children with disabilities.

While talking about the purpose of the book, Pajaziti said that they aim to shed light on the reality faced by these women who are often ignored and bullied. On the other hand, she called on the institutions, and the society to accept disabled people as they are and to accept their rights.

"Every page of the book and each woman's story reveals her confrontation and triumph over challenges, social restrictions and physical barriers. Their stories are a testament to determination, courage, and strength. Through the book "My story, my dignity", we aim to shed light on the reality faced by these women, who are often ignored, and even worse, bullied. It is also a call for institutions, society, and families to accept them as they are and to recognize their rights and contributions to society. 18 young women and girls inspire change, and let us know that disability does not preclude other abilities and that they can overcome any other obstacle. Each woman also expresses the dream for education and the great need they each have for employment. They live in poor economic conditions and hardly feel the hand of the state. The book includes 18 stories from different regions in the country", said Pajaziti.

Meanwhile, Pajaziti also said that the arrangement of the stories in the book is random and some of them have not agreed to speak by name and surname, adding that the change of their names is intentional so that they can speak and tell their story under conditions of anonymity.

That this book is a good opportunity to contribute to the improvement of the conditions of persons with disabilities, said the deputy speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo, Saranda Bogujevci.

"It is very important that these stories are being told, that we have the opportunity to see and hear them closely, but at the same time, by all this work that is being done by our extraordinary organizations that we have, we are achieving at the same time to have more data, which should contribute more to the responsibilities we have within the institutions to create better conditions for our citizens. It is an obligation to the positions we have... We must build the common chain and give the best we can to create better conditions for our citizens in the most equal way possible", said Bogujevci.

The director of the Kosova Disability Forum, Bujar Kadriu, hopes that this book will be a message for the country's institutions to create a strategy for people with disabilities.

"Through interviewing women with disabilities facing life challenges will be a message where the institutions of the country turn their attention to this community and assume their legal and constitutional obligations. Undoubtedly, women with disabilities are attacked with various problems, often with physical and emotional violence and where they are faced with these challenges. In particular, the responsible institutions, should take on the obligations they have towards this community... I wish this book to be a message for the institutions, so that through these messages we can create strategies for people with disabilities", said Kadriu.

Participating in this promotion of the book were also some of those who shared their story. Blerina's father, Ismaili Krasniqi, who told his story in this book, talked about the difficulties they face.

"The problem is the pensions of these disabled people, they halved their pensions, they received about 350 euros, now they receive only 150. I am the parent of a child, my daughter is in a wheelchair, she has diabetes, I have not received support from anyone, never from the state. The problem is that we have a person without hands, and the pension has been halved... Access is few, the medicines cost, they cost about 500 euros per month because the girl is also diabetic... Now there are opportunities to raise your voice in the government and do something for these children", said Krasniqi.

Meanwhile, Aferdita Haxholli from Ferizaj, who has also told about her life in this book, called on the institutions to work for the rights of people with disabilities.

"I am a disabled person; I am 43 years old. There are some things being done that I can't believe what people are doing. Open your eyes and see. I am 43-years-old, 250,000 euros costs my surgery abroad, they say we don't have it, where can we get the money? I have to pay rent, I pay 200 euros, they have not given me the apartment anywhere. We have had the fair in the square, they took our names and surnames, and when I went to participate, they told me to fill out the questionnaire about what skills you have. I have all the skills; I can be an actress... We also have the right to work in the government anywhere, work for justice. Since 2021, I have the documents to go abroad, but I cannot, from Turkey they call me to go to do the surgery. I went to the government; they told me to wait. I had a salary of 375 euros, but now they deducted it", said Haxholli.

Former president Atifete Jahjaga, MPs of the Assembly of Kosovo, and representatives of non-governmental organizations participated in the promotion of this book. The book is published in Albanian, English and Serbian, and can be found online in all the channels of the Center for Innovation and Development. /E.Krasniqi/