State Leaves Free NGOs Helping Victims of Violence During War

It has been several months since nongovernmental organisations in service of these survivors have not received funds from the Government of Kosovo, thus limiting the services they can offer.

The Centre for Promoting Women's Rights in Drenas is one of four nongovernmental organisations, which, with government licenses, assists survivors in the process of applying the Government Commission for recognition and verification of the status of persons violated during the war in Kosovo.

The organisation's leader, Kadire Tahiraj, told Radio Free Europe that summer months are particularly difficult, as buses do not circulate in some rural areas.

We have to escort them. We have very frequent cases of application, we have to take them home to send them, wait five to six hours, not eat anything”, she indicated.

In addition, Tahiraj indicated that even the organisation's workers are not being paid and there is danger of leaving the organisation.

In 2018, when the aforementioned Government Commission was established, the then Labour and Social Goods Ministry had also made arrangements with the four organisations: “Medica Kosova”, “Medica Gjakova”, the Kosovar <x5 Centre for the Security of Torture Survivors” <x> and <x7 Centre for Women's Rights Promoting” in Kerna.

With this agreement, funds of 24 thousand euros a year were earmarked for five years, as is the mandate of the Government Commission.

Linda Sada, director of the organisation “Medica Gjakova”, told Radio Free Europe that so far they have not received any promises for the first means to be released in January, will appear sometime during the year.

There has been a delay in the budget for some years, but it's always been that promise we'll support, and this year we don't have a promise of almost”, she said.

According to her, the greatest concern is providing adequate services for survivors who seek help from this organization.

Our “Our work is a mission even if we remain without salaries we will continue”, she said.

“There are no tools for this” category

Although forced under agreement with these organisations, the government has failed to share the first tools of NGOs, now eight months.

In a response to Radio Free Europe, the Ministry of Finance, Labour and Transfers said that “these funds have not been allocated due to lack of means for NCL2 The Law for the Victims of Sexual Violence”

The Office for Information of this Ministry said that following the budget revision, which has just passed into the convent, the compensation opportunities of these four will be considered NGOs.

The issue of funding these NGOs raised in the Kosovo Assembly on Monday, opposition MP from the Democratic Party of Kosovo, Eliza Hoxha.

“Not doing so, this government is unable to continue supporting people affected by sexual violence during the war, which they have legally guaranteed”, she said.

About 70 per cent of survivors' applications came from NGOs

In February 2018 the Government Commission began work on recognising and verifying the status of violent persons during the Kosovo liberation war.

Since then, this commission has accepted 1,527 applications for recognising the status of the victim of sexual violence during the war.

According to this commission, more than half of these applications came from four NGOs working live with these victims.

Out of four Authorised NGOs, the commission has accepted a total of 1,019 apps.

According to the data, so far, 982 applicants have been recognised the status of the victim of sexual violence during the war, while 218 requirements for recognition of status have been rejected.

Under the regulation regarding the recognition of the status of victims of sexual violence during the war, the victim of sexual violence of war is considered the person who has survived sexual abuse and rape within the period of 27.02,1998 to 20,06.1999.

When a person is approved the status of the victim of sexual violence during the Kosovo war, he/she has the right to a pension of 230 euros a month.