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President calls for urgent reforms on gender equality and protection of women

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At a parliamentary session dedicated to women's rights on the occasion of March 8, President Gordana Siljanovska-Davkova sharply criticized institutions for their systematic failure to protect women from violence. "Why does rule of law transform into rule of violent men?" the president asked in her address.

Siljanovska-Davkova highlighted alarming statistics: in 2025, there were 4,745 reports of domestic violence and six femicides, while in just the first two months of 2026, four women had already been killed by their partners or family members. "It is terrible that every March 8, we count new victims, present the latest statistics, and propose measures that have been proposed before but never implemented," she emphasized.

Parliament Speaker Afrim Gashi and several members of parliament also spoke at the session. It was stressed that the main problem is not a lack of laws, but their non-enforcement. The president called for a coordinated response from all institutions — social services, police, prosecutors, and courts — rather than isolated and belated reactions.

Siljanovska-Davkova called for substantive implementation of the Istanbul Convention and greater participation of women in decision-making processes across all areas of social life. She emphasized that urgent and substantial reforms are needed aimed at gender equality and eradicating intolerable violence against women in Macedonian society.

Members of parliament expressed support for strengthening protection mechanisms, including faster action by competent authorities on domestic violence reports and stricter compliance with court-ordered protection measures.