Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman: The fight for justice is what every survivor deserves

Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman was 16 years old when she was sexually abused during the Kosovo War. She was the first Albanian woman to break the social stigma and speak out publicly about the violence she suffered at the hands of Serbian militants.

Since then, defending the rights of victims has become her life's work. She positions herself as a social activist, a survivor herself, demanding change. Her voice is heard both in the US Congress, where Vasfija and her family currently live, and in the Kosovo Assembly, where she was a member of parliament.

Vasfije Krasniqi-Goodman spoke about her journey from victim to survivor in an exclusive interview with The Geopost.

Read the full interview here:

Krasniqi-Goodman: I grew up in a village called Stanovc i Ulët. I am the youngest of nine children. Growing up in Kosovo in the 1980s and 1990s was not always easy. But we had a loving family. Being the youngest, I always felt very loved and treated well by everyone. I was a sociable child. I was always very friendly, and yes, these are the things I remember most fondly from my childhood. Very beautiful memories.

The Geopost: Vasfije, you are the first woman in Kosovo to speak publicly about the sexual violence you experienced during the war. What motivated you to take this step? Was it a difficult decision?

Krasniqi-Goodman: After the justice system let me down by taking away my faith, I reached a point in 2013 where I felt I had nothing to lose by speaking out and telling the world what we had been through. At the time, I wasn’t that involved with Kosovo and activists or anything like that. When I decided to speak out, I spoke to Dr. Feride Rushiti from the Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims in Kosovo. I remember her saying, “Are you sure you’re going to speak out? It’s a big thing to speak out in Kosovo.” And I said, “Of course, I have the support of my daughter, my siblings, and my husband, and nothing will stop me.” That was seven years ago; they’ll be eight soon.

I am very happy that I took this step. Now the world knows what Serbian criminals did to women, men and children in Kosovo, and that it was not our fault. There is nothing to be ashamed of. We need to talk about this; everyone needs to talk about conflict rape.

The Geopost: Do you remember your first public speech? How did society, the media, your family, and other people react?

Krasniqi-Goodman: Oh, I remember it so well. The impact was so big, something I could never have imagined. I thought sharing my story would help survivors. I knew society would take it very seriously, and I got support from everyone, from farmers in the villages to the president. Everyone was on my side. Everyone supported me.

The Geopost: How has your life changed since that event? And what are you doing now?

Krasniqi-Goodman: My life has changed a lot. I miss my life before 2018. I miss the privacy I had when I lived in the United States and took care of my daughters and family. But now I am very involved in human rights in Kosovo. I meet survivors of different conflicts all over the world. I constantly hear their stories, engage with them, and support women to speak out. For me, this is a great honor and something that gives me the strength and energy to get up every day and look forward to what comes next.

The Geopost: Your fight did not end with your testimony. You have been advocating for the recognition of sexual violence during war for many years. What do you think is the most difficult: achieving justice, changing public opinion, or building a support system?

Krasniqi-Goodman: I think the three go hand in hand. Fighting for justice is something that every survivor deserves. When I talk about justice, I get very emotional because I've been fighting for it since I was 17.

And to this day, I will not be at peace with myself until I get justice.

In our society, I think Kosovo is on the right track. It has changed. People are willing to listen, they are willing to talk about it more openly. Before 2018, you would hear some stories, but nobody knew anyone, or maybe they knew, but they didn't talk about their family members who were raped. So I also think, yes, it is on the right track. And now, to support survivors, I think it all starts with the family. Family gives you the courage to speak out. Family gives you the strength to keep going. If you have the support and the freedom to speak out with your family about rape, nothing can stop you.

So I hope more survivors get this support from friends, family, and society, but I think you can see a big difference between 2018 and today: people support us.

The Geopost: What steps has the state of Kosovo taken to support survivors of sexual violence during the war? What still needs to change?

Krasniqi-Goodman: Kosovo supports us. They recognize us as such, especially the victims. It took a lot of lobbying from organizations and civil society to bring about change. But yes, we are recognized as victims. We receive compensation from Kosovo, even though Serbia should pay the compensation, not Kosovo, because Kosovo as a country did not cause any damage and therefore did not commit any crime. What needs to change, however, is the system.

27 years after the war, only two perpetrators are behind bars, which is inexcusable for our society and institutions. They must do more to ensure justice.

The Geopost: Do you think international justice pays enough attention to sexual crimes in conflict?

Krasniqi-Goodman: Absolutely not, especially when it comes to Kosovo.

The Geopost: Why?

Krasniqi-Goodman: I will advocate for Kosovo in my case because I have been dealing with this since the end of the war. The rape crimes were not taken seriously. They were not taken seriously. I remember when I had to report my case in 2010, there was the Swedish police officer who was working here for EULEX. And he basically said to me: “What happened to you is no big deal”. If he had said this in Sweden, in his country, it would have been unacceptable. But when they came to Kosovo, I think most of them were there just for the paycheck and not to serve justice.

The Geopost: I visited Bosnia and Herzegovina and conducted many interviews with victims. They told me that perpetrators of sexual violence live in the same city as them. They walk the same streets as them. They become politicians…

Krasniqi-Goodman: I believe that even today, many criminals still live in Kosovo. Fortunately, I don't see my torturers who raped me, because it would be very, very difficult not to seek revenge. But even at a young age, I always wanted justice, not revenge. But in countries like Bosnia, where you are a neighbor and you see them, the government should work to ensure that these criminals are not there. They are not in politics, they are not in society, but they should be behind bars. I hope that Serbia, as a country, will extradite these criminals to Bosnia and Kosovo so that they can be prosecuted.

The Geopost: Thousands of women and men in Ukraine were sexually abused even during the war with Russia. What would you like to say to Ukrainians who experienced this?

Krasniqi-Goodman: I feel very sorry for any person who goes through war, let alone rape. It is one of those crimes that leaves scars for life. I wish them strength to fight and seek justice, but most importantly, documentation. Keep the documents, especially these days, when it is easier to keep the documents than during the Kosovo War in 1999. But fight for justice and never give up; don't hide behind what happened to you.

The Geopost: Do you work with Ukrainian NGOs that support survivors?

Krasniqi-Goodman: Not currently. I would like to visit Ukraine and meet with survivors. I am in contact with some survivors, but not with any organizations. This is something I would like to do in the near future. I hope to travel to Ukraine this year and visit survivors.

The Geopost: What lessons from Kosovo could be important for Ukraine in terms of documenting sexual crimes, supporting survivors, and recognizing them?

Krasniqi-Goodman: I think Kosovo and Ukraine can work together, NGOs or even the government, to join forces and take the good lessons from Kosovo, to bring them to Ukraine and work on them. For reparations, for justice and just to speak out, because now there are other survivors in Kosovo who are following my path of speaking out and not hiding.

The Geopost: Why does Serbian and Russian propaganda deny the sexual crimes of their military?

Krasniqi-Goodman: They deny this crime because it is nothing to brag about, doing this to civilians, men, women and children.

They can only deny it, even though we all know that rape has happened in every conflict for centuries. They need to speak out and apologize to all survivors for what they did. Because it doesn't just destroy one person – it destroys your family, your community, and your country. Because rape is a crime. It stays with you forever.

Thousands were killed and we speak freely about them. We remember them. But when it comes to rape, everyone is silent. Because we don't want to admit that it happened. Serbia doesn't even want to admit that it happened. And I oppose it. And I will do everything in my power to tell the world that Serbs are rapists, that they are criminals and that they belong in prison.

The Geopost: What would you say to people who have lived the dramatic experience of war? Maybe your words can inspire and encourage them?

Krasniqi-Goodman: My message to everyone: Put yourself in our shoes and imagine it was your daughter, your mother or your wife, because it could happen to anyone. It's very difficult to live with and it wasn't our fault. You should not just listen to us, but really listen and pay attention to these crimes. Because, as far as I know, the youngest victim in Kosovo was only seven years old when she was raped by Serbian troops. And I mean, it's inhumane to do something like that. And then people, especially friends and family, turn around and blame us or don't recognize us. It's like they're on Serbia's side. They're on the side of the criminals and nobody should be doing that, especially not Albanians. Because we know what the Serbs have been doing for centuries.

/The Geopost