Human rights activist Vasfije Krasniqi Goodman, the first survivor of sexual violence during the Kosovo war to tell her story and one of the world’s leading voices against wartime sexual violence, is visiting Israel between February 5-8 as a guest of Shurat HaDin to witness Hamas’ atrocities, show solidarity to Israeli victims and demand bringing Hamas’ “Nukhba” terrorists to justice for sexual assault.
Krasniqi, a Kosovo Albanian, was only 16 years old when she was abducted from her village in Kosovo and raped by two Serb police officers. She became a symbol of the fight against wartime sexual violence when she fought to bring her rapists to justice. In 2021, the President of Kosovo declared April 14, the day of Krasniqi’s rape, the “Day of Sexual Violence Survivors” in Kosovo. Krasniqi has returned to Kosovo to become a Parliament member and today is considered a leading human rights activist against sexual violence.
Krasniqi answered Shurat HaDin’s invitation to visit Israel to witness the atrocities committed by Hamas. Shurat HaDin is a woman-led non-governmental organization dedicated to combatting terror and antisemitism, defending victims of terror, and protecting the State of Israel and its citizens. It was the first organization to bring a lawsuit on behalf of a victim of a terrorist attack who was also sexually assaulted.
During her visit, Krasniqi visited the Knesset, where she met with the head of the Knesset’s Committee for Women’s Rights, Mrs. Pnina Tamanu Shata, and other lawmakers. She will also meet with victims and is visiting Southern Israel’s villages and the Nova Festival site, where the attacks took place.
"As a survivor of sexual violence and a person who knows too well the suffering and pain of a war, I want to emphasise the crucial and utmost importance of saving civilian lives. These days in Israel, I am once more reminded of the terrifying pain of a conflict, hence I am hopeful that every solution will be centred on the sanctity of saving the lives of the innocent and those that suffer the most in a conflict."
The Kosovo delegation has reported that the violence against women perpetrated by Hamas on October 7 has never been seen by the world before. It is something unprecedented and cannot be ignored nor forgotten.
“Vasfije’s visit to Israel is a brave act by a brave woman,” said Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, founder and president of Shurat HaDin. “It took months for the international community to even begin to face the terrible truth of the events of October 7. But more importantly, we still do not see decisive action by governments, the UN, women’s rights organizations, the International Red Cross, and other organizations against Hamas, which is still holding Israeli hostages that we know are being assaulted in captivity as we speak. We hope that Vasfije’s visit will help raise awareness to these atrocities, the need to prosecute Hamas Nukhba terrorists for the war crimes of sexual assault, and the need to unroot the Hamas rapists from Gaza.
“There can be no equivocation or justification nor any “context” when it comes to the wartime sexual violence of Hamas. The visit by Krasniqi will drive home this point. Shurat HaDin is demanding that the commanders and militants of Hamas’ Nukba Forces be hunted down, prosecuted, and punished for the notorious war crime of sexual violence and rape.”