Small number of applications for recognition of sexual victim status

In the third year of this commission's formation, there are no large number of subjects that have been presented for treatment. Commission for Verification of the Status of Victims of Sex Violence head Minire Begaj says about The KP that the total number of applications is over 1400 cases.

We have a total number of 1463 applications in general. Since you've been looking for this year, we have 70 applications that have been applied for 2021. Of them, addressed so far, we have recognised the status of 943 cases. The Commission has eventually handled 1290 cases. Within this number we have also rejected, of them 35 cases of men we have recognised the status of the victim of sexual violence”, she claims.

While Begaj calls for the application of all survivors of the war to enjoy the executions of 230 euros, she adds that the decline in the number of applications may have affected the pandemic.

There are probably different circumstances that have come so far. But since we believe that for those years, the months that have remained for all who have experienced sexual violence must also be strengthened to address the commission. The government and Kosovo institutions have made this legislation in this form for their own sake, to recognise status”, she adds.

Treatment of these cases is considered difficult, since victims rarely possess the necessary documentation the commission asks of them.

However many of the reasons that we know, because of the mentality, because of circumstances, family stigma that didn't preserve medical documents, were the case. Whether he has a law or a document he might have at the time. Remember, it's very important that the deadline of events or of the traumatic situation and the screening is very high. And the return after 20 years is also a problem for survivors”, Begaj points out for Kosova Preress.

While nongovernmental organisations that are licensed for this process have repeatedly criticised the commission for delay in handling these events, Begaj says there have been cases which have been addressed for the sixth time.

Maybe five times, six times, we've handled them. In order not to end a rejection. But under certain circumstances the whole process that we've been pursuing comes to an end that we really refuse for a certain case because the commission has failed to abide by the entire administrative process that we've been following”, Begaj said.

The deadline to submit the application for recognition and verification of the status of the victim of sexual violence is five years from the beginning, and the officialisation of the Government Commission's work on recognising and verifying the status of violent persons during the war. This commission officially began work in February 2018.