Kosovo: Conference on the documentation of conflict-related sexual violence
“One of the greatest challenges for women who survive sexualised wartime violence is the stigmatisation they experience in society but also within their own family,” says Mirlinda Sada from Medica Gjakova based on her experience in Kosovo. This leads many survivors to stay silent out of shame or fear of being ostracised. Society also does not appear to be very interested in any process of coming to terms with this violence: rapes on women and girls do not easily fit into nationalistic tales of heroism. However, justice cannot be achieved unless this process takes place.
“The documentation of sexualised wartime violence is the first step towards finding out the truth that can lead to the survivors’ healing process, justice and the perpetrators’ prosecution.”
Documentation: Prerequisite for the right to truth, justice and recompense
Our partner organisation Kosova Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (KRCT) organised a conference in mid-October on “The Documentation of Conflict-related Sexual Violence - Standards and Practices”. A number of organisations participated in the conference in Pristina, the capital of Kosovo, including partner organisations of medica mondiale. Participants from Kosovo, Ukraine, Colombia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia took part, discussing the significance of documentation as a prerequisite for survivors asserting their right to truth, justice and recompense.
“Documentation is important for bringing the truth to light in order to achieve justice. It is also necessary for educating the next generations about their past and preventing a repetition of these crimes in future.”
Best practice: Manual on the documentation of conflict-related sexual violence
The best practice examples presented during the congress included work by KRCT, Medica Kosova, The Centre for Promotion of Women's Rights and Medica Gjakova (Kosovo). These four women’s rights organisations all worked intensively on the establishment of good procedures for documenting sexualised wartime violence after the war in Kosovo. The results have been brought together in a manual on the documentation of conflict-related sexual violence that can now be used by women’s rights organisations in other countries, such as Ukraine. medica mondiale is supporting the documentation process in Kosovo and helps to make possible the discussion on best practices between organisations in the region and around the world.
“Documentation is important to establish what support needs the survivors will have and to heighten awareness of the trauma of sexualised violence.”
