A woman, a survivor of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo, has publicly recounted her harrowing experience, courageously facing the trauma and deep consequences that have followed her for years.
She has said that she was sexually assaulted by a Serbian neighbor, Dejan Rašić, who was a member of the Serbian army at the time. Today, she says she would like to confront him just to show him that his violence had not broken her, but had made her stronger.
“If I had Dejan Rashiq in front of me, I would have said to him: do you see me well now? You beat me, you raped me, you mistreated me, and today I am alive. I am alive and I will be even stronger. Where are you now? It would be better if someone killed your children… Ishalla goes behind bars as soon as possible so that you can suffer the consequences you have caused us,” she said with tears in her eyes and a trembling voice.
Her story describes the terrifying scenes that took place in front of her children, in a house without conditions, where in addition to her, there were also the children and her paralyzed mother-in-law.
“I can’t even describe how he came home… in front of the children… I didn’t welcome him at home with abuse, with a sick child, a paralyzed mother-in-law, they were terrified!” she recounted to RTVDukagjini.
Even though years have passed, she emphasizes that justice is still lacking, and that she continues to wait for the state to act.
“If he goes behind bars, it will feel like I’ve been born again,” she said, calling for the punishment of war criminals.
Finally, she thanked the War Crimes Rehabilitation Center (WCRRC) for its many years of support and sent a message to all victims of sexual violence who still hesitate to speak out:
“Please, raise your voice. Talk to someone. There are associations that deal with this issue, there is the state. Don’t keep your anger inside, because the disease is eating you. Get the pain out, heal yourself – because otherwise you can’t live.”
Her story is one of dozens of others included in the cycle of stories of survivors of sexual violence, who are revealing the truth in the face of oblivion and injustice.