Photo: Medica Gjakova

The representative of the Autonomous Women's Center, Sanja Pavlović, spoke at the international conference "I am not guilty for what happened to me - a study on the long-term consequences of war rape in Kosovo", in Prishtina, organized by Medica Gjakova and Medica Mondiale, on September 12, 2024.

The presented study documents the long-term psychological, physiological and social consequences of sexual violence in war, which continue to significantly affect the quality of life of survivors, even 25 years after the crimes were committed.

The AWC representative presented in the panel that dealt with the importance and impacts of the aforementioned study on the region and feminist advocacy for survivors.

"I wish to thank Medica Đakovo and Medica Mondiale for this historical document about the lives of women in Kosovo during and after the war, about their suffering, but also about the resistance and dignity they showed even when they were exposed to the worst betrayals of humanity. We all owe these women a promise that their experiences will be respected and not forgotten. We must all work to stop impunity and the de-humanization of Others. That should be our pledge for a different and fairer future", said the AWC representative at the end of her speech. The entire speech in English is available at this link.

The study, among other things, pointed that 67% of respondents stated that the experience of sexual violence in the war still affects their family life today, and 48% of them said that the experience also affected their children. Almost all respondents, 95.5% of them, have symptoms that correspond to the criteria of clinical depression, and 73% of them have symptoms of complex post-traumatic stress disorder. The study, in English, is available at this link.