Experiences of Kosovar Women Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence From the Perspective of Mental Health Providers

Abstract

This study sought to explore the experiences of Kosovo women survivors of wartime sexual violence and how they cope post war. The ethnic and national tensions between Serbia and Kosovo over a long period of time led to the War of 1998-1999 in which Serbian militia used rape as a weapon of war and ethnic cleansing of the Kosovar population. Patriarchal society created obstacles for women survivors to come forward with their stories post war. Thus, the scope of this study was to explore the experiences of women post war. This research implemented two theories: feminist theory and coping theory. A case study to explore the experiences of these women post war, was conducted. Purposeful and snowball sampling were used to recruit a handful of Kosovo organizations serving women survivors. Four interviews of direct psychosocial providers of women survivors were conducted to answer the research question of how Kosovar women survivors were experiencing their realities post war with sub questions focusing on the socioeconomic and political area, coping skills and organization support. The findings pinpointed 15 categories of coding. These categories were further condensed to create themes. Five themes were identified during this study: negative societal messages, cultural coping resources, organizations’ role, government’s role, and men’s experience. The findings can be a tool to inform the Kosovo government, health care professionals, and organizations, on how to best support the women post war. It can add to the international body of literature of coping strategies post war and trauma-related work.