Visit of the MARTIN-club team to Kosovo

Kosovo is a small country that survived war in the late 1990s, but has managed to go a long and difficult path to recognizing and supporting people who suffered from conflict-related sexual violence. That is why today the experience of Kosovo is important for Ukraine - we are at the stage of creating the mechanisms that are already working there.

Head of Legal Service of NGO MARTIN-club Yuliia Seheda , representing the organization, participated in a study visit to Kosovo on responding to conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV), organized by UN Women Ukraine and UN Women Kosovo together with representatives of five other Ukrainian civil society organizations.

During the 1998–1999 war in Kosovo, sexual violence was widespread. However, for more than a decade after the war, these crimes were silenced due to stigmatization and patriarchal attitudes in society. Only with the initiative of the President of Kosovo, Atifete Jahjaga, and the systematic work of civil society, did the state begin to listen to the victims and implement unpopular but necessary reforms: the legislation was changed, a mechanism was created for identifying victims, providing them with status, access to justice, and comprehensive social, psychological, and legal assistance.

According to international missions, the number of victims of the SNPK in Kosovo exceeds 20,000 people. Today, more than 1,800 people have officially received this status, lifelong pensions and state benefits as victims of the war.

During the visit, meetings were held with the State Commission for the Status of Victims of the SNPK, UN Women Kosovo, as well as with civil society organizations that cooperate with the state. One of the key elements of the Kosovo model is the involvement of civil society. It is NGOs that collect information, support victims, and prepare documents for the commission. This increases trust and minimizes formality, while maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive information.

A particularly emotional moment was taking part in the action near the Heroinate memorial in Pristina, an installation of 20,000 nails in the shape of a woman's face, each of which symbolizes the story of a victim. Each story is a silence, pain, and strength that cannot be forgotten.

MARTIN Club already provides assistance and support to victims of SNPK in Ukraine, working with a human-centered approach and in compliance with international response standards. We not only learn from experience, but also share our achievements, which will help avoid mistakes and strengthen solutions that should work systematically and in the long term.

It is the responsibility of the state and civil society to hear, recognize, and support those who have survived war crimes.