The installation "I'm Thinking of You," by a Kosovar artist – dedicated to victims of sexual violence during the war – was displayed in front of the Council of Europe headquarters in Strasbourg on Thursday.
Alketa Xhafa-Mripa displayed her installation on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Armed Conflict, which is marked on June 19.
Dozens of dresses hanging on clotheslines, donated by survivors of sexual violence during armed conflicts and by public figures in a sign of solidarity, appeared in front of the Council of Europe building on Thursday.
The acting Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, said that Alketa Xhafa-Mripa's work has turned pain into a motive and silence into a powerful public memory.
"As an internationally renowned artist from Kosovo, she continues to speak out for those who will never be forgotten. She remembers, but also demands. She awakens conscience, calls for accountability and insists that justice must prevail," Kurti wrote on Facebook.
The exact number of people raped during the last war in Kosovo in 1998-99 is unknown.
But, according to a report by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, this figure reaches up to 20,000.
However, only around 2,000 people have received legal status as survivors of sexual violence during the war.
The Consulate General of Kosovo in Strasbourg wrote on Facebook that, by bringing this installation to the heart of Europe, “Thinking of You” has become “a symbol of resilience and survival, and serves as a reminder that the elimination of sexual violence in conflicts is only possible if we provide unconditional support to survivors and bring perpetrators to justice.”
She said that the official inauguration of the installation will be held on June 23, during the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, in the presence of Assembly deputies, permanent representatives of Council of Europe member states and the highest authorities of the organization.
Meanwhile, on June 27, the installation will be placed in one of the most frequented public spaces in the city of Strasbourg, on Rue des Hallesbardes, bringing the message at the heart of the work even closer to citizens, according to the announcement./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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