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Kosova

Kosovo, April 14 is the memorial day for the victims of sexual violence during the war

Politiko 2024-04-14 16:24:27

Kosovo, April 14 is the memorial day for the victims of sexual violence during

Organizations and survivors of sexual violence during the last war in Kosovo called on Sunday for institutional and societal support in the country in order to fight stigma and prejudice against survivors.

These calls were part of marking April 14, the Day of Survivors of Sexual Violence during the last war in Kosovo.

"Let's raise the consciousness of Kosovo society in relation to this crime, which even today, when we are gathered here, is still not talked about in families because of the stigma and prejudiced culture", said Feride Rushiti from the Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims.

In March 2014, the parliament of Kosovo approved legal changes to recognize the status of rape survivors, while this status was recognized by a government commission only at the end of 2017.

In February 2018, the authorities in Kosovo opened the process of verifying the status of survivors of rape during the war in Kosovo, and so far, according to the institutions, about 2,000 requests have been submitted, while the status of nearly 1,600 people has been recognized. the victim.

Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman, who was a victim of rape by Serbian forces, called for support for women who were raped during the war.

"April 14 is a very difficult day for me, it's a boring day, but I don't want to call it the day when I was a victim of sexual violence, but call it the day of strength because the strength I have and that I managed to break the taboo in Kosovo and the society of Kosovo begins to see us as victims of sexual violence and I want you to support us, not only on April 14 but for every day and be as open-minded as possible that you certainly have victims in your homes, in your families but that you don't know", said Mrs. Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman.

"I begged you that April 14 is not only the day of support, support us every day because the war is not forgotten, the crimes are not forgotten, but if we do not commemorate them, they are forgotten", Shyhrete Tahiri, survivor of rape by Serbian forces.

Feride Rushiti from the Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Victims, called for justice for survivors of sexual violence.

"He would like to congratulate the strength and courage that many women, girls and men have to continue this campaign, the campaign for justice, which I think is the last moment for concrete institutional steps so that justice is established in the country for survivors of sexual violence," she said.

Civil society organizations say that the fear of stigmatization has made most of the people raped during the war to remain silent. Even further, the exact number of rape victims is not known, but it is believed that this number is around 20,000./VOA

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