The story of the daughter of the survivor of sexual violence during the Kosovo war: It took my mother 20 years to find her voice

In a personal story, Venice Sylejmani, the daughter of the survivor of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo, Sjete Tahire-Seyleman, opened the International Forum for Women, Peace and Security, reports EO, Transnet. Periscope.

It showed wounds inherited from war and their influence over the generations. She said it took her mother 20 years to find her voice.

I witnessed a war crime at the age of 4. For 15 long years, my mental and physical health was seriously endangered. Until two years ago, when I decided I wouldn't let him destroy me or us or anyone else. War has many victims even after it has ended, often being young children too powerless to heal themselves, protect themselves, and wrap themselves up with things they cannot and need not understand. It took my mother 20 years to find her voice, and although I am still finding mine, I will use it proudly for those who have no voice: as an activist for internal trauma, mental health issues, and to end children's stigma worldwide. Interethnic trauma does not define me and will never limit me”, she said.

A genocide survivor in Srebrenica, who shared her personal experience and call for peace, also spoke at the forum.

“My salvation is that I am alive, but I am from Srebrenica and Serbia. We were daily exposed to persecution, murder, excessive violence. Because of this, we were forced to move from Srebrenica to town. In 1995 genocide occurred, so genocide began. I was only 24. I returned to Serbia in 1996. I have a family, I have two children, my husband also has two children. My husband and our children want me and my mother, fathers, brothers, sisters, and others never to experience war in this area as if there had never been. We want those who lost their loved ones to find peace and we live in peace”, she said.

“Today in Srebrenica, where we live, we have the Potocari Memorial Centre and a special facility that cares for memory storage, which commemorates what happened at Srebrenica. Everyone can go there -- both young and future generations to listen to and learn what happened at Srebrenica” -- she concluded.