[WATCH] Malta, Kosovo Presidents in joint plea to end wartime rape

Kosovo president Atifete Jahjaga addresses a forum on sexual violence

Malta Kosovo presidents condemn sexual violence

The presidents of Malta and Kosovo joined forces to call for the end of sexual violence as a weapon of war, arguing that it is not an unavoidable consequence of conflict.

During a forum at the Verdala Palace, Maltese president Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca warned that wartime rape is not merely the acts of individual soldiers, but rather a military tactic to shatter communities. 

"For too long, our societies have tacitly accepted that sexual violence is an unavoidable consequence of war, and that the systematic deployment of sexual violence - in furthering political ends - is inescapably intertwined with violent conflict," she said.

"There is nothing unavoidable in sexual violence. The moment we believe that our ideologies have more importance than the dignity and the wellbeing we share in common is the moment we would surrender to world without hope and peace, that is empty of human wellbeing."

She urged Maltese women to stand up in solidarity against sexual violence in foreign conflicts, such as that suffered by the Yazidis at the hands of the Islamic State militant group. 

"While Maltese women are fortunate not to have experienced such heinous crimes, we cannot ignore the plight of these voiceless women," she said. "We can stop rape, but we need to speak out and raise awareness that rape is not an inevitable consequence of war. We must tell our governments that ending sexual violence in war is a priority and that we want them to do more to stop rape now."

She also said that sexual oppression is the result of gendered perceptions, with women’s self-worth linked to their perceived attractiveness to men.

“If women and girls are taught from an early age that our survival and happiness is linked to how desirable we are to men, then we are already victims of systematic oppression.” 

Kosovo president Atifete Jahjaga called for justice for the 20,000 or so Kosovans that suffered sexual violence at the hands of Serb forces during the 1998 war. 

"Their memories of the crimes against them are still fresh, and the horrors of their suffering weigh heavily on their shoulders," she said in a passionate speech. "I have seen women whose dreams of becoming mothers were shattered due to forced abortions, I met women who witnessed their daughters being gang-raped, or who were sexually abused in unthinkable ways in front of their families.”

“Yet 17 years after the war, not even one person has been prosecuted or convicted for the crimes. We must fight this culture of impunity, and while we cannot change the past we can seek justice for our survivors and attempt to end sexual violence in conflict once and for all.”

‘What about the refugee camps?’

Maria Pisani, director of human rights NGO Integra, urged the presidents to focus on the plight of several refugees, currently housed in squalid camps across Europe.

“It is easy to speak about others doing things to others, but there are refugee camps in Europe – including Malta – where sexual violence occurs.”

“Before we start speaking about sexual violence in other countries, we must first recognize it, own it and defeat it in our countries,” she said. “These refugees are living in poor conditions that we support and contribute to as citizens.”

In a brief response, Coleiro Preca said that the refugee crisis “is “a multi-faceted issue that must be looked at with some complexity”.

Elsewhere, Elaine Compagno - coordinator of the SOAR Malta support service for domestic violence victims – warned that rape culture is rampant in the country.

“We must start talking about and addressing rape culture, that is evident in certain comments that are passed and certain sentences handed out by court,” she said. “We keep talking about how women should stand up to sexual violence, but what about men? What role do men have to play in all of this?”   

Video is unavailable at this time.