In the event, a panel comprised of experts, artists, journalists, researchers and activists discussed the ways in which society today deals with the legacy of war and the issue of sexual violence, policies and practices at place in supporting survivors of wartime sexual violence, ethics in media and principles in sensitive reporting and how do-no-harm approach can tailor non-biased reporting and improve interethnic relations, artistic engagement with the war narratives, symbolism and representation in art, public discourse on wartime sexual violence as part of a master narrative, the importance of documenting wartime experiences, et cetera.
The discussion was moderated by Aurela Kadriu from Qendra Multimedia, while the speakers were Sebahate Pacolli Krasniqi, the Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims (KRCT), Fisnik Minci, journalist at Koha Ditore daily, Arbnor Morina, artist and collaborator in the book, and Korab Krasniqi, forumZFD Kosovo Program.
Copies of ‘Beyond Pain, Toward Courage’ and ‘I want to be heard’ were distributed at the end of the promotion event, free of charge.
‘Beyond pain, towards courage: Stories about the trauma of sexual violence in war’ is a book unfolding experiences of ten family members of survivors of wartime sexual violence and two men survivors of sexual violence from the recent war in Kosovo. Through in-depth oral history interviews, the book animates the ways in which the direct or indirect exposure to the trauma of wartime sexual violence (and social stigma) affects survivors, their partners, family members, and the community in the first place; and how it further implicates on personal, social, and economic relations. It is a documentation and advocating resource that examines the long-term inter-generational repercussions of wartime sexual violence, and counters the predominant, one-sided, and glorifying narrative about the war, by diversifying it with the inclusion of sidelined and marginalized voices of war.
The promotion event was organized at the house of ‘Shani Efedi’ in Prizren and was live broadcast on social media accounts of NGO THY, KRCT, and forumZFD program in Kosovo.
The book was prepared and published by forumZFD Kosovo Program and The Kosovo Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims, with the support of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), the Embassy of the United Kingdom in Prishtina, and the Swiss Embassy in Kosovo.
