North Macedonia

Improved economic security and safe reintegration of women survivors of violence was achieved through sustained employment, strengthening women’s independence and reducing vulnerability to re-victimization. Consistent with the Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principle, the intervention prioritized survivors facing multiple and intersecting forms of exclusion, including women from rural areas and single mothers who experience heightened barriers to labour market participation and access to support services. Through a 12-month social mentoring programme, eight women survivors of violence gained and sustained employment. Six women are employed in private companies, one is employed in the public sector, and one is working as a freelancer. Participants reported improved job-relevant skills and greater self-confidence in seeking employment, alongside a better financial situation that contributed to improved quality of life and wellbeing. In total, eight women benefited from the programme, and none returned to a violent environment, underscoring the protective effect of economic empowerment on survivors’ safety. Sustained employment increased women’s economic independence, reducing vulnerability to violence, and supporting long-term recovery.
While intentionally small in scale, the initiative was designed as a pilot to test and refine a survivor-centred model for economic reintegration for women facing heightened risks of exclusion from the labour market. The programme combined tailored mentoring, professional (re)orientation and practical employment support, enabling women not only to access jobs but to remain employed. Its results provide evidence of what works in supporting survivors’ socio-economic reintegration and inform efforts to further strengthen and scale this approach through future programming and partnerships.
This outcome was achieved through strong collaboration that demonstrates UN Women’s convening role. UN Women partnered with the civil society organization Association for Research, Development and Communications – PUBLIC, which ensured survivor-centred delivery, including mentoring and psychosocial support. UN Women also mobilized the private sector through the edu-tech company Brainster, which contributed market-relevant, labour-recognized training by providing free, short and practical courses in administration, sales, customer care and digital tools—helping reduce structural barriers to employment for women who might otherwise be left behind in labour market recovery and strengthening women’s employability and longer-term career prospects.
This result contributes to SDG 5 target 5.2 by supporting women survivors of violence to rebuild their lives through sustained livelihoods, reduced vulnerability to re-victimization, and increased agency, and aligns with UNSDCF Outcome 2.
https://eca.unwomen.org/en/stories/interview/2025/12/for-all-women-and-girls-klimentina-ilijevski-on-empowering-women-survivors-of-violence-to-rebuild-their-lives

The Government of the Republic of North Macedonia has strengthened institutional responses toward gender-responsive governance with government policies and measures to shift the socio-economic landscape for rural women, addressing one of the most persistent gender inequalities in the region. The State Audit Office of North Macedonia led the first-ever regional cooperative audit on Sustainable Development Goal 5 (Gender Equality), in collaboration with the Supreme Audit Institutions of Kosovo and Albania. This regional audit was a result of the longstanding commitment and strategic engagement of UN WOMEN with key stakeholders, including the State Audit Office and Supreme Audit Institutions of neighbouring countries. The audit thematically focused on inclusion of rural women on the labour market. Findings from this ground-breaking gender performance audit were presented to and reviewed by the Parliamentary Committee for Equal Opportunities, elevating gender-responsive budgeting and planning to the highest levels of governance. As a direct result of this audit and parliamentary review, the Government committed to a series of transformative actions to improve the socio-economic status of rural women:

Enhanced agricultural policies to provide targeted financial support for rural women;


A national action plan to boost employment opportunities for rural women and formally recognize unpaid care work, with a pathway toward securing pension rights


Expanded access to essential public services, including health, education, and economic support;


And Amendments to the Health Insurance Law, ensuring maternity leave and sick leave for registered women farmers.

Women and girl survivors of gender-based violence can now benefit from an amended Criminal Code which defines and criminalizes most forms of violence against women, harmonized with the standards of the Istanbul Convention. Five years after the adoption of the National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention (2018-2023), in February 2023 the Parliament of North Macedonia adopted the amendments to the Criminal Code harmonizing it with the standards of the Istanbul Convention. The Code now defines gender-based violence against women and victims of gender-based violence (GBV); it criminalizes stalking, female genital mutilation, sexual harassment including in the online space. The definition of rape is now based on consent, and it incriminates rape of a current or previous spouse or intimate partner. The Code also criminalizes the murder of women and girls within GBV (i.e. femicide) and includes economic and psychological violence as types of domestic violence. Additional crimes were amended to include stricter penalties if they are committed as a part of, or are consequence, of GBV.
UN Women supported the process by participating in technical working meetings, providing expert advice, organizing discussions with civil society organizations, and by supporting an awareness-raising campaign for the public on the Istanbul Convention’s provisions and the urgent need to amend the Criminal Code.?Moreover, the background work in amending the Criminal Code included a gap analysis of the country’s commitments under the Istanbul Convention and the provisions of its Criminal Code, and subsequent advocacy and expert-level dialogue with the Government and Parliament to amend existing legislation in the field of gender-based violence and gender-based discrimination, in line with the Istanbul Convention. These were collaborative efforts between UN Women and CSO partners Centre for Research and Policy Making, the National Network on Ending Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, and the Macedonian Women’s Lobby.
The result contributes towards the achievement of SDG 5 targets 5.2 and 5.9, and UNSDCF Outcome 2.?
https://bit.ly/3HuI1gi

13 women survivors of violence, including minority women, who are also long-term unemployed and single mothers, have gained and kept their employment through participation in a 12-month social mentoring programme for economic empowerment. Nine women work in private companies, two started their own business, and two work in state institutions. The women have reported enhanced skills and self-confidence in seeking employment and an improved financial situation resulting in better quality of life and wellbeing. None of the 15 women survivors have returned to the violent environment.
The social mentoring programme which was adapted to the needs of women survivors of violence is implemented for the first time in North Macedonia. It aims to motivate the most marginalized women in society by catalyzing their strengths and potentials, through an individually adapted process, using the key elements of mentorship combined with professional (re)orientation and achieving professional maturity.
The implementation was a collaborative effort between UN Women and its CSO partner Association for Research, Development and Communications – PUBLIC. In the process UN Women provided support by being the convenor and connector between PUBLIC and other women’s CSO, and the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy (MLSP). As a result of UN Women’s advocacy, the MLSP included the social mentoring as a service in its newly developed programme on reintegration and rehabilitation of women survivors of violence.
The uniqueness of this programme is the individual approach tailored to the needs of each woman, as well as the complex and robust system of support provided to the social mentors in the form of individual, group, intervention and peer supervision sessions. In addition, the established cooperation between the social and professional mentors assigned at the workplace for each woman, has led to comprehensive support and sustained professional development and growth of the mentees.
The programme was well received and praised by both the private and public sector providing employment, flexibility and opportunities for growth; by CSOs providing additional services; and the MLSP that has openly expressed its support for replicating and expanding the programme.
The result contributes towards the achievement of SDG 5 target 5.2 and UNSDCF Outcome 2.
https://eca.unwomen.org/en/stories/interview/2022/10/interview-every-positive-change-in-each-woman-survivor-is-a-success-in-itself