Elected MP Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, a Kosovo wartime sexual violence survivor who was the first to speak out about her experience between 1998 and 1999, stated she is pro participating in the dialogue with Serbia if such thing is requested from her.
“I am ready to ‘slap’ Serbia in the face for the crimes they committed in Kosovo, and I am living evidence of those crimes. I am ready, but this is somebody else’s decision,” she told a Kosovo-based TV, Klan Kosova.
“Serbia must face the crimes it committed, apologise, and denounce all crimes,” she added.
Krasniqi Goodman ran with the winning Vetevendosje list and expects support from all the political entities in her fight for justice.
“We should all be together to fight for justice and to break the stigma. Victims should know that they have the support inside Parliament,” she said.
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.
The two policemen were acquitted of raping her by Kosovo’s Supreme Court in 2014.
In 2019 Krasniqi Goodman, an American citizen called on Washington to work more on holding Serbia accountable for the crimes its forces committed in Kosovo, as she testified at the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee.
About 20,000 Kosovo Albanians are believed to have been raped by Serbian forces during wartime in Kosovo.
By speaking publicly about her experience, Krasniqi Goodman received massive support from society, 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 that honors all the victims and survivors of rape and sexual violence committed by Serbian forces.
