Koha For the Survivors

Nearly 20 years after hostilities ceased in 1999, a culture of shame and silence in Kosovo[1] continues to stigmatize survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, who until recently had no legal recognition or rights and were unable to get reparations for the violence they suffered.
Since 2006, working with civil society organizations and Kosovo authorities, UN Women has helped to secure legal recognition and redress for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. After the Kosovo Assembly in March 2014 approved a law that gave legal recognition to victims of sexual violence during Kosovo’s armed conflict, UN Women supported the establishment of the government Commission to Recognize and Verify Survivors of Sexual Violence during the Kosovo War.

Comprehensive efforts to recognize and compensate victims of sexual violence during the conflict took a leap forward in 2018 with the start of an application process for the survivors.
With the financial support of the European Union, under the umbrella of the Gender Sensitive Transitional Justice project, UN Women Kosovo has partnered with the biggest newspapper in Kosovo, to publish a special newspaper supplement on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict.

The aim of the suplement titled "Koha for survivors" is to raise the voice and demands of Conflict Related Sexual Violence survivors and allow for a more accurate understanding of the complexity surrounding sexual violence associated to the conflict and its devastating impact on individuals and society.

[1] All references to Kosovo on this website shall be understood to be in full compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).