Eliminating Sexual Violence in War, was the summit held in London on June 10th, 2014. This Summit welcomed over 900 experts, NGOs, survivors, faith leaders, and international organizations from more than 140 countries. It was the biggest global meeting on this issue ever convened.
According to Amnesty International, rape is now used deliberately as a military strategy… by the spread of AIDS, and by eliminating cultural and religious traditions.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague co-chaired the summit with Angelina Jolie. He said rape was one of the “great mass crimes” of modern times and called on the nations at the summit to write action against sexual violence into their armies.
Ashlar associate, Selvije Izeti made this presentation:
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Some expressions of survivors of sexual violence in Kosova:
“People are afraid from hell , I do not fear that I live with that hell every day“
“They wounded our soul, but people stepped upon our wounds“
“It might have been better if I’ve jointed the battlefield than to experience the war upon my body”
“There is no life for me anymore“
“They don’t recognize us as victims of war, but as victims of shame“
“How I wish to sleep quietly for a single day and see a beautiful dream”
“They wounded our soul, but people stepped upon our wounds“
“I’m not alone, I’m never alone …. shame, pain and suffering are my inseparable company”
As many of you know, 15 year ago women of Kosovo have been part of the tragedy inflicted by war in my country. Always when it comes to sexual violence and rape camps in the Balkans, Bosnia is just mentioned. For Kosovo always is said that there might have been violation. But in fact it is believed that sexual violation involved about 20 thousand Albanian women in Kosovo, and perpetrators of these crimes have gone unpunished and remain still free.
We all know that throughout history, sexual violence has been used as a weapon of war. Rape is used because it is easily hidden and hits the most vulnerable people, woman and children leaving lasting consequences not only in the individual but also in the family society and whole generations. Because the effects last a lifetime for survivors of sexual violence it is a war crime in times of war and in times of peace, so peace that we others found in freedom they unfortunately do not yet enjoy.
I work with the survivors of sexual violence for years, and every time I meet them, I see the signs of their suffering and their inhumane treatment during and after the war. During the war they experienced serious physical and psychological injuries. It was easy for them to ask help for physical injuries, but the invisible wounds they keep in silent because they know that if they speak will face social consequences like: stigma, humiliation, blaming, expulsion from home or abandonment by husbands, Divorce. Men have refused to marry girls who have been victims of rape. Family tends to isolate women who have experienced rape. This has made women, even after 15 years, to choose suffering in silence.
Fifteen years of silence have multiplied wounds, have multiplied the pain facing constant fear, sadness, anger, self-blaming, and shame; Anxiety disorders –PTSD, Depression, somatic complaints, suicidal thoughts, numbness, isolation from family, friends and relatives, loss of attention etc. Even it considered to be 20,000 survivors of sexual violence, just 100 of woman come forward to ask for counseling in services of KRCT, which is one of the main NGO-s that that work directly with the survivors of sexual violence. Of those, nearly 80 hid their husbands about the rape and continue, to hide the secret out of fear of abandonment or abuse.
To help victims of sexual violence to recover and rebuild their live they first of all must be treated with respect humanity, confidentiality. They need to be fully supported not just from the NGO- s that offer psychological help, but from each member of society so that the victims can be offered a sense of normalcy, a life different from what the perpetrators of these horrendous crimes designed for them.
The last two years have been many Campaigns to raise people’s awareness and fighting stigma regarding sexual violence through emissions through various documentaries. The survivors have stated that this awareness building is also necessary for them to remove their sense of shame and to understand that they have been victims of crime, not authors.
Finally in Kosova, three months victims of sexual violence are recognized by law as a victim of war and is expected to benefit an Individual compensation in the form of monthly pension as other categories of war. I hope that this law will be implemented soon, because getting a law onto the statute book is one thing, getting it implemented is another! For woman must be compensation to those individuals who survived sexual violence as well as other kinds of injury, but also adequate state expenditure on health and housing, schools and jobs, so that women can participate fully in society.
Woman will not find peace till they don’t find justice – that every crime be effectively investigated, every perpetrator prosecuted, every crime punished. Therefore, I think that a key component to ending rape as a weapon of war is the successful prosecution of perpetrators. Perpetrators need to admit responsibility and to be publicly seen as responsible for their actions
As well raising awareness on gender violence is key to long-term prevention and stopping rape in conflict. As we work towards preventing conflict-related rape, we will address the institutionalized discrimination in our society, while changing people’s mindsets towards violence and women.