Increased number of survivors of war rape seeking support in the organization
A seventeen year old pregnant girl as a result of rape from Serbian militaries, another strong woman who requested documentation of rape at the war crimes unit and the first witness against Milosevic trial in Hague, and many other women survivors of rape have found support in the organization Medica Kosova.
Since 17 years ago this organization led by Veprore Shehu have never stopped to be a support for war traumatized women and girls in Kosovo. She implemented over 30 projects that aimed at psycho-social support, gynecological assistance and legal counselling for the women who experienced sexual violence during the war and their economic empowerment through income generating programs in sector of agriculture.
Mrs.Shehu reports about difficulties and challenges faced while trying to heal the wounds of Albanian women so that they don't see death as a solution but a seek for a better future. Mrs.Shehu claimed of having more and more women survivors of war-time rape coming to the organization for receiving support.
Medica Kosova supports also the girls that are family related to the women survivors of all kinds of violence during the war considering the effects of trauma on the children of these women. The organization does a lot of lobby and advocacy at local and national level in redressing the status of rape survivors during the war. Complementation of rehabilitation services with economic empowerment started since 2006 to 2013 when over 136 women living from agricultural activities received different supplies, cows and bees. Integration of survivors into income generating activities was not so easy considering their personal resources affected by trauma and therefore almost all of the women had to go through rehabilitation services.
More than 6500 women have been receiving support in the organization since its establishtment in 1999, initially as an international organization and in 2003 as locally registered NGO. However this statistic does not present the number of women who survived sexual violence. Out of this number 170 women unfolded their experience of rape during the war. One of most painful cases she recalls is a 17 year old girl who got pregnant as a result of rape. Medica Kosova provided shelter to this girl for a couple of months until she could give birth, for hiding the pregnancy in front of her family.
Another painful history but at the same time a turnout for starting to end the culture of impunity in Kosovo is the case of a strong survivor who documented rape in front of EULEX War Crimes Unit. However this process like the other two additional cases of documentation did not bring the perpetrators in front of justice because of refusal of Serbia to extradite war criminals for the trial in Kosovo./INDEKSONLINE