On this day in 2018, the Government of Kosova officially began the process of registration for 20,000 recognized survivors of sexual violence and rape during the 1998-99 war. In 2014, the law on “the status and rights of martyrs, invalids, veterans, members of the KLA, civilian victims of war and their families” was expanded to include survivors of sexual wartime violence as civilian war victims. Fast forward four years, the Commission for the Recognition and Verification of the Status of Victims of Sexual Violence has given these survivors the right to receive a monthly pension of 230 euros. This official recognition and financial support are significant as they encourage survivors, both men and women, to come forward and tell their stories and seek help from institutions.

Research conducted by Human Rights Watch revealed that rape and other forms of sexual violence were utilized as weapons of war and systematic ethnic cleansing in Kosova in 1999. Recognizing that sexual violence was a weapon in war and offering support and compensation to the survivors is a step in the right direction by the government of Kosova. Moreover, providing sexual violence survivors with a monthly pension goes beyond mere financial support, as it also validates their experiences and allows them to seek help and healing. When the state acknowledges one’s past experiences of pain, it can provide a sense of detachment from the ongoing trauma and can empower individuals to move forward.