In the photo: Logo of the Kosovo Police
In early May, a woman from Kaçanik went to the police and stated that her daughter had been sexually abused. She claimed that an unknown person took her daughter in his car and raped her. The police have opened an inquiry into the situation, and the girl, who is a child, has been sent for a medical examination.
Before we get into the case, the phenomenon, or even the continuation of rapes with a focus on little girls as the victims, have a look at the text below; you will notice that something is wrong with it. Or, more accurately, there is a lot wrong with it!
“Kaçanik-Ferizaj / 1.05.2024 – NN. The female Kosovar complainant stated that her daughter, the female Kosovar victim, was reportedly taken in a car by an unknown person and has had sexual intercourse with him. The victim was taken to the IML for examination at the prosecutor’s request, while the case is being probed,” according to the Kosovo Police’s 24-hour report.
Yes, you noticed it as well, since this is too obvious to be skipped. Her daughter was supposedly taken by an unknown individual in a car and has had sexual intercourse with him.” “She had sexual intercourse”. Sexual intercourse, as we all know, is carried out with the consent of the two parties involved. Sexual intercourse requires the approval and consent of both participants. So, if this does not occur and one partner is not asked for consent or does not give such consent, the act is no longer considered sexual intercourse but rather rape or sexual abuse. The fact that the victim is under the age of 16, implying that the girl is a minor, heightens the severity of the situation. And, while the above sentences of the police report may appear to many to be self-explanatory and clear on how wrong they are on many levels, the Kosovo police, particularly those who prepared this short report on the case, have yet to make a difference. This must be observed, and it is a very significant act not only for the underage victim and her family, but also for how a fundamental state entity like the police handles, sees, and addresses instances of this sort, in which the vast majority of victims are girls and women.
It is important to note that this minor rape case is neither the first nor the last in Kosovo, a country not known for its large population. So, it is not an isolated case. Five months ago, this municipality reported the rape of another minor girl. Yes, you read that correctly. The police declared that they had removed the girl from the apartment where an adult had allegedly raped her and then locked her inside.
On March 12 of this year, just a few months ago, two men kidnapped a 13-year-old girl from the municipality of Malisheva and raped her in a house in Drenas. The Kosovo police hid the case by describing the case and referring to the minor as a “missing person.” So, they didn’t even mention the rape, much less the fact that “the missing person” was a 13-year-old child.
These documented incidents, whether presented as numerical data or as a profoundly unsettling occurrence, must warrant attention in any community. However, apart from the fact that we do not see the state taking any concrete steps, measures, or actions without the need to qualify as radical; whenever there are collective organizations, we see an irritation from powerful actors in Kosovo against these organizations, marches, and protests in which we should be united, not divided. We are all at risk, and such significant harm, particularly to the young girls among us, should be considered irreversible and tragic, because such it is.
Liridona Sijarina, a feminist activist in Kosovo, after the news published in May about the rape of this minor, wrote as follows: “Hardly a day goes by without a case of rape being made public in Kosovo. So, almost every day, there is a piece of news that claims that men and women in Kosovo live in a state of war. Surprisingly, instead of these news stories revolting us and extending the public revolt, what we see is an increasing normalization of violence with other methods, through indifference, apathy, the cultivation of collective amnesia, and a political atmosphere that delegitimizes it. Protests serve as a means of resistance and change. Beyond the often-pathetic notes that emerge when some cases of violence and femicide “go viral”, a mobilization against the feminist public organization is taking place in Kosovo’s public discourse, especially in Pristina and in those “more emancipated” or “active” circles”.
We all witnessed the horrific incident in which 11 boys and men raped an 11-year-old girl just two years ago. Yes, you read that correctly. This happened in Kosovo. Five boys raped her once, and six older men did so later. Between the two denunciations, she was in the custody of the state. In the hands of the relevant institutions that have the duty and obligation to take care of her as a minor and twice the responsibility for her as a victim.
However, the state failed to protect and provide proper care and security for her and many others like her.
Author: Hanmie Lohaj
