The Assembly of Kosovo approved the Draft Law on mandatory health care insurance which, among other things, will provide health insurance without any conditions for the victims of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo.

Voting was done in an accelerated procedure in Thursday's session.

After that, the Kosovar Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Survivors also reacted, saying that this was a vital request of the survivors.

"After continuous advocacy by the NCRC for the provision of free health services to survivors of sexual violence, including continuous meetings with relevant ministries and members of the Assembly of Kosovo and numerous advocacy letters, today, December 5, 2024, in the session plenary session of the Assembly of Kosovo, the Law on Mandatory Health Care Insurance was approved, where the proposal of the NCRMT that the victims of sexual violence during the war in Kosovo to be offered health insurance paid by the state without any conditions", wrote the director of the NCRC, Feride Rushiti.

Earlier on Thursday, KosovaPress publishedr accounts of survivors of violence during the last war in Kosovo, which show the challenges until reaching the provision of health services.

The number of people raped during the last war in Kosovo is unknown, but reports speak of around 20.000.

So far, only Zoran Vukotić has been convicted for sexual violence during the 1998-1999 war.

Their stories are not known because survivors still fear the stigma of prejudice, and remain silent.

In Kosovo, since 2014 there is a law for recognizing their status, but so far only about 2 thousand have received it.