Caribbean Life, O BQ CTOBER 25-31, 2019 11
By Councilman Mark Gjonaj
April 20, 2019 is a day that I will
never forget. I was speaking in Prishtina,
Kosova at a ceremony remembering
the thousands of women who
were raped by Serbian military and
paramilitary forces during the brutal
war of 1998. Several hundred women
were in attendance. In the crowd, I
could see the unimaginable pain on
their faces.
When we speak of conflict-related
sexual violence, we frequently refer to
data. We use numbers and statistics
to tell a story. However, what we often
fail to portray is that we are speaking
of people. People with lives that have
been changed forever. I have seen
the misery and stigma that they live
with. But I have also witnessed their
strength, courage and spirit.
Such a brave person is Vasfije Krasniqi,
who was only 16 years old when
she was taken from her family and
raped by Serbian forces. “We will not
kill you” they told her, “because you
will suffer more if we keep you alive.”
What these criminals failed to realize is
that Vasfije would survive and become
an incredible person who fights for
justice, not only for herself, but for
all the victims and survivors of wartime
sexual
violence. As I
stood next to
her that day
in Prishtina,
I committed
myself to
helping these
survivors in
their fight for
justice.
There are
approximately
70,000
women that
were raped by
Serbian forces
in Kosovo,
Bosnia and
Croatia during
the 1990s
war. Astonishingly,
nearly
20 years
later, the perpetrators of these crimes
remain unpunished. Although, article
27 of the 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention
explicitly prohibits wartime rape
and UN resolutions clearly categorize
rape and other forms of sexual violence
as war crimes, international and
local courts and government alike
have failed to
hold the perpetrators
of
these horrible
crimes
accountable.
Wartime rape
and sexual
violence continues
to be
treated as a
‘normal’ consequence
of
war. These
inst itut ions
continue to
behave as if
these women
are merely
a casualty of
war. As if their
rights, suffering
and lives
do not matter.
Whether you talk to women activists
in Bosnia, Croatia, or Kosova, they
will tell you the same thing. The survivors
of these horrendous crimes feel
abandoned in their quest for justice.
While I will always support reconciliation
between warring nations, we
should not aim to achieve peace at the
expense of the victims. Peace without
justice is not a true peace nor is it a
sustainable one.
We must make sure that the perpetrators
of these crimes, in Serbia and
around the world, realize that these
women are not alone. That the use of
rape and sexual violence as a weapon
of war will not be tolerated.
That is why on Tuesday, October
29 I call on all my fellow New Yorkers
to come and rally for justice for
survivors of sexual violence in front of
the Serbian consulate general in New
York on 62 W. 45th Street. How many
times must we say Never Again before
we finally take action? Now is the time
for justice. Now is the time to fight
injustice.
We must be relentless in our fight
against all forms of sexual violence,
whether it be in our own home, community
or anywhere in the world.
That responsibility lies with each of
us. If you or someone you know needs
assistance with escaping an abusive
environment, please contact my
office at (718) 931-1721. We have staff,
resources and organizations that are
ready to help.
(Mark Gjonaj represents the 13th
District in the Bronx.)
OP-EDS
Serbian forces should be punished for wartime rape atrocities
PATIENTS’
CHOICE
RATED & AWARDED BY PATIENTS
SM