YIHR KS proudly launched the groundbreaking research report “Youth Attitudes Towards War and War Crimes in Kosovo”

YIHR KS proudly launched the groundbreaking research report “Youth Attitudes Towards War and War Crimes in Kosovo,” conducted in collaboration with Prof. Dr. Bekim Baliqi. The event brought together researchers, activists, and policymakers to discuss how war memories have shaped Kosovo’s youth’s perspectives. The findings reveal vital insights into political attitudes, knowledge of war crimes, and their impact on interethnic relations and trust-building. 

The data from the research confirm the main assumption that memories of war events have a significant impact on the attitudes of young Kosovar youth and that there is a very strong correlation between addressing the past and improving inter-ethnic relations.

It is concerning that data from the report shows that the majority of young people are dissatisfied with the way schools address the events of the war in the classroom and that the main source of information about the war for the vast majority of young people surveyed is conversations with parents and close family members.

This tells us that there is a great need to improve formal education in this area and that we must ensure that future generations are equipped with critical and comprehensive knowledge about what happened in the past in all its complexity and nuances. 

We thank our panelists for a rich and meaningful discussion on the report: 

Prof. Dr. Bekim Baliqi – Dean of the Faculty of Philosophy, University of Prishtina

Mr. Blerim Halili – Senior Executive Officer at the Institute for War Crimes in Kosovo

Ms. Serbeze Haxhiaj – Journalist

Mr. Agon Rexhepi – Human Rights Activist

Mr. Dimitrije Obrenovic – Human Rights Activist

Mr. Fatlum Kryeziu – Human Rights Activist

*This activity is supported by USAID.