Following reports that a 14-year-old girl was allegedly drugged and raped by five individuals in Prishtina, the Kosovo Women’s Network, has called for immediate institutional action.

The police and prosecutor’s office have initiated investigations into suspicions that on Sunday, a 14-year-old girl in Prishtina was drugged and sexually assaulted by five individuals in the capital. The Kosovo Women’s Network and the EU Rule of Law mission in Kosovo, EULEX, demanded an immediate institutional response.

“The Kosovo Women’s Network is deeply outraged by the horrific case in which a minor is suspected of having been assaulted by five individuals. This shocking incident, according to local media, involves the drugging and subsequent assault of the minor by these individuals. This is a severe violation of human rights and human dignity, which, above all, should serve as an urgent call to action from all institutions and our society,” the Kosovo Women’s Network wrote in its statement after the incident.

Police and prosecutors began investigations related to the suspected rape of the minor on Monday.

“The Kosovo Police, in collaboration with the competent prosecutor, is conducting intensive investigations. By the prosecutor’s decision, the female victim, a Kosovo national, has been sent for medical examination,” reads the police statement. According to the report, the incident occurred on November 3, 2024 at 1:00 a.m.

KWN has urged judicial bodies to act with determination and urgency, calling for “the maximum punishment of the perpetrators, in accordance with the law.”

“KWN calls on institutions to show high sensitivity towards the victim and to provide full support to her and her family, while justice must be uncompromising and immediate.”

Emily Rakhorst, the deputy head of mission of EULEX in Kosovo, called for an urgent response to ensure protection from violence and abuse.

“Last week, several cases involving sexual violence against minors were reported in Kosovo, calling for urgent action and an effective institutional response to ensure every child’s right to protection from violence and abuse. All children deserve safety and a life free from fear,” Rakhorst wrote on X.

KWN also emphasised that it “will monitor the institutional response to this and any other case of gender-based violence.”

On October 9, a woman in Prishtina had also reported a sexual assault against a minor to the police. 

A couple of weeks later, on October 25 a police officer in Peje/Pec was arrested by Police Inspectorate investigators on suspicion of sexual harassment.