Viktoria Pashtriku

Highlights & Final Thoughts on My Time at Medica Gjakova

September 4, 2019 by vp723

Viktoria Pashtriku
Women’s Association Medica Gjakova
Gjakova, Kosovo

My time at Medica Gjakova has come to an end and I am reflecting back on the ways in which this experience has propelled my academic and professional goals. From learning the importance of different human rights to rural women, to getting to meet people working on postwar trauma and collective memory in Kosovo, I have not only gained a richer understanding of the role women and human rights have in the transitional justice process, but have also clarified my master’s thesis topic and established next steps after graduation.

a few houses scattered in grassy area — A remote village in the Gjakova municipality of Kosovo, where I assisted in holding a women’s human rights workshop.

Here are some highlights of opportunities I was able to have this summer while at Medica Gjakova:

Assisting in holding women’s human rights workshops in remote villages throughout Kosovo to teach rural women about the resources, rights, and opportunities available to them. These workshops were not only beneficial for the women, but allowed me to get a better sense of the varying cultures and mindsets in the villages and understand which rights and opportunities women found most valuable and which didn’t interest them as much. For example, rural women were particularly interested in their rights to inheritance and property.
Attending the Interdisciplinary Conference: “War Trauma, Collective Memory, and Transitional Justice” at the University of Prishtina in Prishtina, Kosovo. We heard various academics and professionals discuss how they are engaging with and helping survivors of wartime trauma in Kosovo. This opportunity allowed me to network with various people in the fields of my own personal, academic, and professional interests, as well as discover different individuals and organizations in Kosovo that are working with survivors of wartime sexual violence.
Learning about some of the other ways Medica Gjakova helps survivors of wartime sexual violence that are not directly related to my work. For example, Medica Gjakova has a store in Gjakova that sells handmade crafts and agricultural products made by survivors. They also offer training programs for the hair-styling, cooking, and seamstress professions and provide small business startup resources.
Administering English-language tutoring sessions to team members at Medica Gjakova who wanted to get more comfortable speaking and improving their English language comprehension.

Most importantly, I’ve come to think that the best way to enact social change is through a combined and balanced effort between a top-down and bottom-up approach. For example, while Medica Gjakova created a training manual based off of their twenty years working directly with survivors of wartime sexual violence, understanding their needs, and recognizing the ways in which the medical field typically fails them, by partnering with governmental organizations, Medica Gjakova will be able to implement their training in the public health care system. Merging grassroots knowledge with governing power in a fair way is challenging and difficult, but I believe that when accomplished, can generate top results.

The Recognition and Verification of the Status of Sexual Violence Victim During the Kosovo Liberation War

August 28, 2019 by vp723

Viktoria Pashtriku
Women’s Association Medica Gjakova
Gjakova, Kosovo

On December 30, 2015, the Republic of Kosovo passed “The Recognition and Verification of the Status of Sexual Violence Victim During the Kosovo Liberation War” (Regulation [GRK] No. 22/2015 – Decision No. 16/67). The initiative went into effect in January 2018. Unlike its kind anywhere in the world, this program is essential in recognizing the trauma of wartime sexual violence in a post-conflict society, fighting stigma of wartime sexual violence by legally legitimizing survivor’s experiences, and encouraging the public/survivors themselves to perceive survivors of wartime sexual violence with the same respect and dignity as war veterans.

This is particularly important, as survivors of wartime sexual violence were kept out of the law passed in 2011, “Status and the Rights of the Martyrs, Invalids, Veterans, Members of Kosova Liberation Army, Civilian Victims of War and Their Families” (Law No. 04/L-054), and the law passed in 2012, which recognizes the official status of “Kosovo Liberation Army War Veterans” (Law No. 04/L-261).

Monument with "Heroinat" written below relief of woman's face — Among the monuments in Kosovo honoring many male resistance fighters and political leaders, there is the “Heroinat” (Heroine) memorial in Prishtina, Kosovo, created to honor the role of women during the Kosovo Liberation War. Image from molosgroup.com

rows of gold coins imprinted with relief of woman's face — The relief of the “Heroinat” memorial is composed of 20,000 gold medals—20,000 for the estimated number of people raped during the Kosovo Liberation War. The number was determined by a 1998 Human Rights Watch report. Image from molosgroup.com

What is most important about this decision is that once an individual has been verified as a sexual violence victim, this individual will then receive a personal pension of 230 euros a month. This pension is vital in giving survivors the financial means to seek out medical and psychological assistance if needed, to take care of themselves and their families, to launch business initiatives, and much more.

I was able to provide administrative assistance for the application by reviewing it for errors and inconsistencies, making photocopies, and helping ensure that all parts of the application are gathered. The applications are evaluated according to the following criteria: (1) Medical Report, (2) Psycho-social Report, (3) Legal Report, (4) Witness Statement, and (5) Other. All parts are crucial in order to ensure a successful application.

Papers on a desk — Taking the time to read the legal code in order to best understand the process for status recognition.

My main interest when arriving to Kosovo was to better understand this recognition and the verification process. While observing the psycho-social staff at Medica Gjakova prepare and put together several of these applications (as well as asking a never-ending amount of questions), there were some issues I noticed and that were revealed to me about the application process:

Although both men and women were raped during the Kosovo Liberation War, men experience more stigma about being a survivor of wartime sexual violence and are significantly less likely to apply.
Women in villages are more likely to seek out services from Medica Gjakova and apply because they have a greater sense of privacy. Meanwhile, women from the cities are less likely to seek out services and apply because they are connected to a larger social circle and thus have more fear of getting “discovered” as survivors.
The program was initially approved for five years with an end date of January 2023, after which individuals will no longer be able to apply. This is challenging, as many women wait until their husbands have passed away before seeking help, while others simply need more time to come forward with their experiences.
There is anxiety in the public consciousness that women will lie about being survivors of wartime sexual violence in order to receive the pension, particularly in such a poor society. This mentality is only furthered by the public controversy caused when it was discovered that despite there only being up to 13,000 war veterans, a far larger number (53,000, as of 2016) have been registered and are receiving pensions.
Despite the fact that survivors of trauma often struggle with remembering specific facts and details consistently (Herman 1992), any inconsistencies within the application and during the interview is perceived as grounds of lying and survivors are denied the status recognition.

Regardless of these issues, however, the initiative has indeed helped many survivors, and thousands of women have already been registered.

Works Cited
Herman, J. (2015). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence–From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. New York, NY: Basic Books.

Human Rights Watch. (1998). Humanitarian Law Violations in Kosovo. New York, NY: Human Rights Watch.

Helping to Prepare the Trauma-Sensitive Training Manual

August 28, 2019 by vp723

Viktoria Pashtriku
Women’s Association Medica Gjakova
Gjakova, Kosovo

Perhaps one of the biggest challenges survivors of wartime sexual violence face is interacting with professionals in the various structures of society who are not equipped and informed enough to understand the trauma of wartime sexual violence and the sensitivities needed in order to properly engage and help survivors. In doing so, these professionals can often evoke harmful and hateful behaviors that violate the rights of survivors, preventing them from getting or seeking out the services they need.

As a response to this struggle, Medica Gjakova is launching an initiative to properly train medical professionals around Kosovo. I’ve assisted in this initiative by conducting research, gathering data/information, and selecting training exercises for Medica Gjakova’s “Training Manual: Stress- and Trauma-Sensitive Approach for Health Professionals to Support Survivors of Gender Based Violence.”

The office where I do my work. A desk was set up for me alongside those for the legal adviser and project manager. My research included reading fundamental books on trauma, such as Judith Herman’s Trauma and Recovery and Bessel van der Kolk’s The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma, as well as reading medical and psycho-social materials on specific topics such as symptoms of sexual violence survivors, dissociative disorders, the impact on family and children of survivors, and the self-care of professionals. In addition, I looked over the training manuals created by Medica Zenica (Bosnia-Herzegovina) and Medica Afghanistan last year. Medica Gjakova, Medica Zenica, and Medica Afghanistan are partner organizations of the German women’s human rights organization, medica mondiale, which provides support to women in conflict zones. Alongside Kosovo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, and Afghanistan, this medical training initiative is also being implemented in Iraq. Taking advantage of the warm weather outside while reading Bosnia-Herzegovina’s training manual, prepared last year as part of my research.

The training manual will be used to initially train a select group of 16 medical professionals from various institutions throughout the Gjakova and Prizren municipalities in Kosovo. Those individuals will then be given manuals and training materials in order to go back to their home institutions and train other medical professionals, properly equipping another 100 medical professionals with the proper knowledge and skills to provide targeted resources to survivors of sexual- and gender-based violence.

Open doorway showing a house beyond and organization sign on wall — The main entrance of Medica Gjakova, leading to the administrative, medical, and psycho-social sectors of the organization. A house was selected in lieu of office space in order to make the organization comfortable, familiar, and inviting to women seeking services.

office building seen from parking lot — Another entrance to Medica Gjakova, leading to the economic and legal sectors of the organization. These offices are connected to the house upstairs. The entrance has a humble appearance and the window paneling is always closed, essential to ensuring privacy.

Medica Gjakova is working in collaboration with Kosovo’s Ministry of Health and the Kosovo University Clinical Centre in order to implement the project, with hopes to train all of Kosovo’s public health system. Through this experience, I’ve learned that improving the services available to survivors – be it medical, legal, educational, etc. – is a crucial component of the human rights process.

Kosovo’s “Be My Voice/Bëhu Zëri Im” Campaign

August 6, 2019 by vp723

Viktoria Pashtriku
Women’s Association Medica Gjakova
Gjakova, Kosovo

One of the most vital initiatives in Kosovo that seeks to challenge the stigma surrounding survivors of wartime sexual violence is the “Be My Voice/Bëhu Zëri Im” campaign. Launched on June 19, 2018–the United Nation’s International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, as well as the 20th anniversary of the Kosovo War (1998-99)–in collaboration with the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), the campaign promotes advocacy work that encourages Kosovo’s public to openly discuss wartime sexual violence. It also raises awareness on the struggles survivors are facing and provides resources and information for the process of applying for the “recognition and verification of the status of sexual violence victims” (a globally pioneering program in Kosovo that offers survivors monthly pensions).

The “Be My Voice/Bëhu Zëri Im” campaign logo has become a commonly recognized image around Kosovo. The purple color has a long history of being used by women’s human rights groups/efforts. Originally purple was used in 1908 to symbolize the Women’s Social and Political Union in the UK, and purple is the color for International Women’s Day as well. Image courtesy of Medica Gjakova.

The phrase, “Be My Voice/Bëhu Zëri Im,” was chosen to challenge people to speak up on behalf of survivors of wartime sexual violence who are not ready (and may never be) to speak up for themselves. In doing so, others can be their “voice” instead. Through this campaign, Medica Gjakova consistently produces promotional work such as social media posts and engagement, TV appearances and interviews, urban artwork, informational events and conferences, human rights protests, and more, in order to engage people to participate with the campaign.

Campaign artwork on a mural promoting women’s human rights at the Vancouver Convention Centre in Vancouver, Canada, created during the Women Deliver 2019 Conference. Image courtesy of Medica Gjakova.

Wall with three "Be My Voice" campaign logos painted on it. — Promotional campaign artwork found in the center of Prizren, Kosovo. Image taken by author.

Women of the Kosovo Philharmonic wearing the campaign logo during a performance in Paris, France, in solidarity with survivors of wartime sexual violence. Image courtesy of Medica Gjakova.

Women at protest holding up a sign — Leaders in Kosovo with the director of Medica Gjakova (center, dressed in red), during a protest in Prishtina, Kosovo. The sign they are holding up states “Më Trajto Dinjitetshëm,” which translates to “Treat Me With Dignity.” Image courtesy of Medica Gjakova.

I arrived in Kosovo for my fellowship work at Medica Gjakova just in time for this year’s International Day of the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict and the one-year anniversary of the campaign. I was able to gain some indispensable background exposure to the ways Medica Gjakova engages with locals and raises awareness for survivors of sexual violence. This included the creation of digital media posts and a TV interview to discuss how survivors of wartime sexual violence can come to Medica Gjakova for help and assistance. Kosovo’s “Be My Voice/Bëhu Zëri Im” campaign demonstrates that it is not necessary for survivors themselves to speak up about their experiences, that grassroots local engagement can encourage ordinary people to challenge stigma, and that campaign work is capable of going beyond marketing practices in order to establish worthwhile change.

How Local Women’s Groups Are Helping Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence

June 4, 2019 by vp723

Viktoria Pashtriku
Women’s Association Medica Gjakova
Gjakova, Kosovo

Welcome! My name is Viktoria Pashtriku and I am a graduate student at NYU’s Gallatin School of Individualized Study, where I am studying the collective memories of post-conflict regions, the role of women in the transitional justice process, and human rights. I am particularly interested in exploring the ways in which international administrations, local organizations, and culture/society address wartime sexual violence in post-war Kosovo.

This summer I will be interning at Medica Gjakova, a local women’s organization that provides survivors of wartime sexual violence with psychological and health resources and legal and economic assistance. In addition, they participate in lobbying and advocacy work to address societal stigmas associated with survivors and advocate for policies for women’s issues. The location of Gjakova is particularly valuable, as it was one of the hardest hit regions of Kosovo during the Kosovo War (1998-99), with some of the highest cases of wartime sexual violence and missing persons reported.

map showing sexual violence incidents during Kosovo War

While at Medica Gjakova, I hope to utilize my background experience working at nonprofit organizations–including several women’s rights organizations–in communications, development, and event planning to contribute to advocacy and policy work. Some of these tasks may include the organizing of educational workshops and seminars, engaging Kosovo’s public through the “Be My Voice” campaign, which encourages people to openly discuss sexual violence, and contributing to the monitoring of public institutions for the way they tackle women’s human rights issues.

Through this human rights project, I hope to learn how local women’s groups are able to support and provide assistance for survivors of wartime sexual violence when international and local governance fails. I hope to discover some of the biggest challenges they face in their mission and how they solve them. And finally, I am very interested in observing how successful Kosovo’s pension plan for survivors of wartime sexual violence has been in its applicability and capacity to help survivors since its installation in January 2018.