Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung 34d ago

Lessons from the 1990s and Today Taking place just weeks before the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict: 19 June, this event marks a moment of global attention to a war crime that is still too often met with silence, denial, and impunity. Conflict-related sexualised violence (CRSV) is not an exception in war, it is a constant. Documented in virtually every armed conflict throughout history to this day, it remains one of the most underreported and taboo consequences of war. Rape is not a random by-product of conflict, it is a weapon destroying individuals, families, and entire communities. Such violence is enabled by the breakdown of institutions and the rule of law, and rooted in patriarchal structures and norms that predate and outlast any conflict. The harm does not end when the fighting stops: decades after, long-term psychological, physiological, and social consequences continue to shape the lives of survivors – and with them their need for comprehensive, trauma-informed care. It is women's and human rights organisations that have played a central role in naming these crimes for what they are, and that continue to provide this care while advocating for political change. This discussion uses three country cases; Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, and Ukraine to ask how societies affected by conflict-related sexualised violence are responding to survivors' needs. Legislation is one thing. In Bosnia and Herzegovina survivors of CRSV can apply for civil victim of war status since 2006, under the Laws on the Protection of Civilian Victims of War, entitling them to financial compensation. However, accessibility varies depending on the entity in which the survivor lives. Since 2023 the Federation and Brčko District also recognise children born of war as a distinct category, however, not in the Republica Srpska. Kosovo passed a law in 2014, a regulation in 2015 granting survivors the right to apply for official survivor status. Implementation only began in 2018, nearly two decades after the conflict ended. Since 2023, Kosovo marks April 14 as its national Day of Survivors of Sexual Violence. Ukraine is the first country to implement such reparations during an ongoing war, with the Bardina Law adopted in November 2024, recognising CRSV survivors and establishes urgent interim reparations including compensation, psychosocial support, and medical care. Implementation, recognition, and a life free from stigmatisation are quite another matter, so is the question of criminal accountability for perpetrators. The three cases do not offer a simple arc from past to present, the lessons seem to have a back and forth nature. What looks like progress on paper often meets the same walls of silence, stigma, and underfunding. What does it take to turn legal recognition into lived reality, including access to psychosocial support and freedom from stigma – and what can be learned from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo to strengthen the response for Ukraine's survivors, now, while the conflict and its consequences are still shaping policy? Speakers: Lina Kushch, First Secretary National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, co-Founder NGO Numo-Sisters!, Ukraine. A journalist and women's rights advocate, Ukrainian Lina Kushch has documented the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war in the ongoing conflict in Ukraine and advocates for survivor recognition and accountability mechanisms. Feride Rushiti — Executive Director, Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), Kosovo. As a medical doctor and human rights activist, Feride Rushiti has done pioneering work on the recognition and rehabilitation of survivors of conflict-related sexualised violence in Kosovo, including advocacy for survivor status and reparations. Nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025. Ajna Mahmić, Legal expert, TRIAL International, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ajna Mamić brings expertise in the legal frameworks governing CRSV accountability and survivor rights in post-conflict Bosnia and Herzegovina, including the persistent gaps in access to justice. Moderation: Gabrielle Falzone, Team Lead Communications, medica mondiale Since 1993, medica mondiale has supported women and girls who have experienced conflict-related sexual violence, working alongside local, women-led partner organizations. Together, they provide medical and psychosocial care, legal assistance, and income-generating programs. At the same time, medica mondiale advocates at the political level for women's rights and raises awareness of the broader societal consequences of sexual violence.