Krasniqi-Godman: The world is not doing enough to punish the use of sexual violence as a weapon

Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman, who became the first survivor of sexual violence by Serbian forces during the war in Kosovo that spoke without concealing identity, says the world is not doing enough to punish the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and bring justice to survivors.

She spoke Sunday in a live interview for the Voice of America from Duhoku in Iraq, where as an activist for protecting the rights of survivors from sexual violence in the conflict, along with the other Kosovo survivor Shyhrete Tahire Suleman, is participating in an activity to support women from the Yazidi group.

About 3 thousand Janzidi girls and women were victims of rapes and other abuses of the militant Islamic State group.

We've come here to share the practice, confessions and help each other. You must be really hard-hearted to hear the cases of Yazid women about what happened to them from the ISIS. ISIS has no mercy for anyone's life. It's very difficult to hear”, she said about the Voice of America.

Mrs. Krasniqi-Goodman said very little is being done to bring justice to the country for victims of sexual violence in the conflict, adding that she has been meeting victims since World War II who have been in Korea”, who have not seen justice.

The fight most is experienced by innocents, girls, women, children. There is something being done about breaking up sexual violence, or judging such cases”, she says about the Voice of America.

Mrs. Krasniqi-Goodman, made its history public in 2018.

With her act, she gave a face to the suffering and horror of over 20,000 such victims, according to estimates by international and local organisations. It today makes its contribution as an activist of the Centre for the rehabilitation of Torture Victims in Kosovo.

Ms. Krasniqi-Goodman, says there is not enough to bring about justice yet, 24 years after the war ended.

“I hope in the future the state takes these cases more seriously and justice is brought to the country”, she says.

We need to know what happened to Kosovo girls, with Kosovo mothers, with Kosovo women. This is not something that can simply be overcome, we must seek justice until justice is established. I will not stop and seek justice until I have”, she says.

In October 2018, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Dr. Denis Mukweges and Nadia Murad, one of the survived sex violence in the hands of ISIS, for their efforts to end sexual violence as a weapon of war.

Ms. Krasniqi-Goodman is part of the SEMA network for supporting survivors of Dr. Mukweges.

Mrs. Krasniqi-Goodman says her advice for other survivors is to have confidence and adds that family support is also critical.

Whether you speak publicly or at home within four walls, you should have the family's support to speak up. ”

Sexual violence has often been used as weapons of war in armed conflicts and wars. The trauma of this violence among survivors, mostly women and girls, is often not treated with the same urgency as other war crimes. The rape was officially recognised as a genocide act in 1994 alone, 46 years after the UN unanimously adopted the Convention on Genocide. / VOA