The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani held a meeting with Vetevendosje’s MP, Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman, a wartime sexual violence survivor, marking the day when she was taken and raped by Serbian police officers.
“April 14th may be an important anniversary day for some, date of birth, the first day at work, and for some, it may just be an ordinary day. But, for Vasfije Krasniqi remains the date when her life changed forever,” Osmani wrote on a Facebook post.
Osmani added that the country must never allow Krasniqi-Goodman to carry the burden of war on her own “because this is completely unjust and unacceptable”.
In 2018 Krasniqi Goodman became the first woman to break the silence by not hiding her identity when sharing publicly on TV how she was raped by two Serbian policemen during the war. She was only 16 at the time of the attack.
“Just as she courageously shared the pain, the courage, and the truth with us and with the world, we also must fight side by side with her and many other women and men like her, to tell the truth, and seek justice,” Osmani said.
She added that Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman is the voice of more than 20 thousand wartime sexual violence survivors in Kosovo.
“Today, in addition to discussing that we should continue to speak louder and louder about the crimes committed by Serbia which still denies, we agreed that April 14 from today, under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Kosovo, be marked as Day of Sexual Violence Survivors during the recent war in Kosovo,” Osmani wrote.
Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman received massive support from society by speaking publicly about her experience. She was seen as an encouragement for other victims to share their stories.
Thousands of victims are still living in silence fearing stigmatization.
Kosovo’s citizens refer to her as a “heroine” for the strength to share her truth and support other victims.
While in Prishtina, “Heroines” is a monument standing to honor all the wartime sexual victims.
