The book “Stronger Chain: An Oral History of Survivors of Wartime Rape in Kosovo”, authored by Anna Di Lellio and Garentina Kraja, was presented at the European Parliament in Brussels as part of a meeting of the Parliament’s Delegation for Relations with Kosovo. The event highlighted calls for justice for survivors.
The presentation was organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Kosovo in Brussels in cooperation with the European Parliament Delegation for Relations with Kosovo, according to Albinfo.
The event began with a discussion among MEPs and Kosovo’s Ambassador to Brussels, Agron Bajrami, moderated by Croatian MEP Davor Ivo Stier. Ambassador Bajrami provided updates on Kosovo, including the organization of elections, the formation of institutions, EU agreements, the national budget, and progress toward European integration. He emphasized Kosovo’s strategic orientation toward Euro-Atlantic values and called for continued support from European institutions for the country’s EU accession aspirations.
In the second part, dedicated to the book’s promotion, Anna Di Lellio and Kadire Tahiraj, contributor to the research and director of the Center for the Promotion of Women’s Rights in Drenas, shared oral histories of survivors of sexual violence during the Kosovo war. They highlighted the severe crimes committed by Serbian forces against the Albanian civilian population, especially women.
During the discussion, it was stressed that justice is still lacking for thousands of women who were raped during the war, and that no one has been held accountable for these serious crimes. Di Lellio emphasized that pursuing justice remains crucial, particularly as the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war continues to occur in other conflicts, including in Ukraine.
The event was seen as an important step in internationalizing memory and raising awareness about the need for justice and accountability for crimes committed during the Kosovo war.
