Special Health Services for Victims of Sexual Violence

A memorandum has also been signed for implementation of this project between the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo and the organisation “Medica Gjakova”, which offers psycho-social assistance to victims of sexual violence during the war, but also to those experiencing violence on gender grounds.

Mirlinda Sada, leader of the organisation “Medica Gjakova”, told Radio Free Europe that 16 doctors and medical technicians will soon be trained later to train another 100 doctors and nurses so that they can be advanced in dealing with sensitive cases of stress and trauma to survive violence on gender grounds and those of sexual violence during the war.

This project applies to Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Iraq, Afghanistan and is supported by the German government. The project envisions improving life and opportunity for women who have experienced violence on gender grounds and sexual violence during the war. They are right to improve health services to trauma and stress”, Sada said.

Based on statements by Kosovo institutions leaders, there are estimated to be about 20 thousand victims of sexual violence during the 1998-99 war. But because of prejudice, it is only rare when people who have experienced this violence have told of their sad stories.

Among them was Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman. In addition to Kosovo, she has talked about the horror she has experienced before the Committee on Foreign Relations in the United States. Krasniqi-Goodman has indicated that on April 14, 1999, a Serbian official has been looking for her father and brothers, and since they were not at home, police officers have asked Vasfije to go with them to the police station to give a statement to the men of that house.

I remember everything. He's been pointing a gun at me, abusing me and raping me several times. I was shocked and lost consciousness. When my consciousness returned, I cried without control and begged him to kill me. He told me: No. I'm not going to kill you because that's how you're going to suffer more than that.

History like that of Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman has other raped women, who expect to have little institutional care from Kosovo health institutions.

In addition to victims of sexual violence during the war, special services are provided for gender - based violence categories.

Last year, law authorities had reported on more than 1,130 cases of domestic violence, in which the majority of victims are female.

Kosovo University Clinical Centre spokesman Shpend Fazliu also announced that understanding agreements have already been made with the association “Medica Gjakova”, on health care for the category involving women experiencing trauma of physical and sexual violence.

He said the project would start applying first at the Prizren hospital and the Gjakova hospital. As for the category of victims of sexual violence during the war, Fazliu said that although it has been a long time, traumas, according to him, last and this is not the first project of the University Clinical Centre of Kosovo to support this category of society.

The services received earlier were health services that were prioritized. Meanwhile, this memorandum allows health services, but other services, as is the need for psychologists... So that they have easier access to psychological treatment”, Fazliu said.

In 2014, Kosovo's Assembly has passed the law, which recognises victims of sexual violence the status of the victim, enabling them certain benefits and a pension of 230 euros a month.

So far, more than 1,000 people have applied for the status of the victim of sexual violence. This status has been accepted by 406 people, of whom 394 are women and 12 men.