Regional conference in Skopje focuses on preventing femicide through stronger institutional co-operation

Femicide is preventable. But prevention depends on institutions recognizing risks, sharing information, learning from previous cases and acting together before violence becomes deadly.

On 28 and 29 September in Skopje, around 80 parliamentarians, government and criminal justice representatives, independent institutions, international and regional experts, civil society representatives and OSCE field operations are gathering for a Regional Conference on Femicide.

Organized by the OSCE Mission to Skopje and the Gender Issues Programme of the OSCE Secretariat, the conference provides a platform for countries from across South-Eastern Europe to exchange experiences and identify practical measures to strengthen the prevention of and institutional response to gender-related killings of women and girls.

“Today’s Conference matters because femicide is preventable,” said Ambassador Kilian Wahl, Head of the OSCE Mission to Skopje. “Let us move from fragmented information towards shared understanding, from isolated responses towards stronger co-operation, and ultimately from responding to femicide towards preventing it.”

Over the two days, participants are examining the full chain of prevention: from legislation and parliamentary oversight to identifying and investigating gender-related killings, collecting reliable data and learning from individual cases.

North Macedonia has taken several steps in this area. Amendments to the Criminal Code in 2023 introduced the offence of “gender-based murder”. The OSCE Mission to Skopje has also supported the development of the country’s Femicide Watch mechanism, including a common case-review methodology, stronger data collection and analysis, monitoring of relevant court proceedings and a public Femicide Watch Platform.

At the centre of the mechanism is a Multisectoral Working Body bringing together representatives of criminal justice, social protection and health institutions, as well as civil society. By reviewing cases from different perspectives, the mechanism helps identify risks and institutional gaps and turn lessons from individual cases into recommendations for stronger prevention and protection.

The conference also provides an opportunity to compare approaches from across the region, where legal frameworks and mechanisms for monitoring femicide differ, and to develop practical recommendations for stronger national responses and continued regional co-operation.