"Wounds that burn our souls”: Compensation for Kosovo’s wartime rape survivors, but still no justice

Almost two decades after the end of the war in Kosovo, survivors of war-time rape will, from January 2018, receive long overdue recognition of and a measure of reparation for the harm they suffered during the armed conflict. The legislative changes making this possible fall far short of international standards for reparation and needs of survivors who will continue to be denied access to free healthcare and adequate rehabilitation. Despite the widespread and systematic nature of conflict-related sexual violence in Kosovo, perpetrators have not been brought to justice and survivors fear that the crimes committed against them will remain unpunished.