Feride Rushiti

Feride Rushiti
Born	(1970-09-12)September 12, 1970 Dragance, Kosovë
Nationality	Kosovar
Occupation(s)	Doctor, Human Rights Activist
Known for	Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims

Feride Rushiti is a Kosovan activist, doctor, director of the "Kosovo Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Survivors" (KRCT) and is one of the pioneering human rights activists in Kosovo. ^[1] Rushiti received the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award from US First Lady Melania Trump on 23 March 2018. ^{[2] [3] [4] [5] [6]}

Education and Career

She completed her studies at the Faculty of Medicine in Tirana, Albania in 1997 where she specialized in gastroenterology. ^[7]

In the aftermath of the 1998-1999 Kosovo war Rushiti mobilized a team of 45 health professionals from Kosovo, for post-war returnees and survivors of torture. She served as a doctor in refugee camps in Albania, where she had direct contact withsurvivors of sexual violence.

Dr. Feride Rushiti - In the refugee camp in Kukes during 1999

After the war, she founded the KRCT, ^[8] with a focus on rehabilitating survivors of torture and sexual violence, as well as advocating for their rights.

After more than a decade of lobbying by women activists, including Feride Rushiti, survivors are entitled to compensation as victims of war. She interceded with Bedri Hamza, the minister for finance, when rumours began that the compensation would be low. ^[9] They started enrolling in February 2018. War rape survivors can receive $ 280 (about 228 Euro) in monthly compensation. ^[10]

Contribution to Policies and Reforms

Through her work, Rushiti has been involved in various legal and social initiatives in Kosovo, ^{[11] [12]} including:

• Integrating psychosocial services for war survivors (1999)
• Monitoring correctional institutions in Kosovo for over 18 years, ensuring compliance with international human rights standards
• Contribution to the legal recognition of survivors of sexual violence as civilian victims of war (2014)
• Creating documentary archives for crimes of sexual violence during war (2019)
• Initiative for the official recognition of April 14 as the National Day of Remembrance for Survivors of Sexual Violence in War (2023)
• Advocating for the adoption of the Law on Mandatory Health Insurance for Survivors of Sexual Violence during War (2024)

Global Advocacy and International Engagement

Rushiti is a member of the SEMA Network and the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT), where she collaborates with international human rights organizations. She has shared Kosovo’s experience in the reparations process with countries such as Iraq, Ukraine, Colombia and Guinea.

In collaboration with international institutions such as the DIGNITY Institute of Denmark and Monash University, she has been part of studies on the intergenerational effects of trauma and new approaches to family therapy. ^[13]

Awards and Recognitions

Rushiti has been honored with several international awards, including:

• International Women of Courage Award from the US Department of State (2018) ^[14]
• "Woman of Excellence" Award (2019)
• Excellent Leadership Award from UBT (2020) ^[15]
• Nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize (2025) ^[16]

Publications

She has authored and co-authored several studies on human rights and the rehabilitation of survivors of sexual violence, including:

• Human Rights in Kosovo Correctional Institutions (2024)
• Family Therapy for Kosovar Mothers Who Experienced Conflict-Related Sexual Violenceand Their Children (2024) ^[17]
• How Male Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence Navigate Silence and Voice (2023) ^[18]
• Intergenerational Effects of Maternal Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (2021) ^[19]
• Quality of prison life, violence, and mental health in Dubrava prison ^[20]

References

1. Feride Rushitit do t’i ndahet Çmimi Ndërkombëtar për Gratë e Guximshme (in Albanian)
2. Feride Rushiti merr Çmimin Ndërkombëtar për Gratë e Guximshme Archived 2019-08-11 at the Wayback Machine (in Albanian)
3. Feride Rushiti, fituese e çmimit për gra të guximshme (in Albanian)
4. Pensacola Welcomes Dr. Feride Rushiti, Human Rights Activist From Kosovo
5. 'I didn't want this to be a taboo': the fight for Kosovan women raped during the war
6. Dr. Feride Rushiti (Kosovo)
7. Kush është Feride Rushiti e cila që 20 vjet punon me viktimat e dhunës seksuale në Kosovë Archived 2019-08-11 at the Wayback Machine (in Albanian)
8. "History – KRCT" . Retrieved 2025-02-11.
9. McVeigh, Karen (2018-08-04). "'I didn't want this to be a taboo': the fight for Kosovan women raped during the war". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 2019-08-19.
10. Not All Kosovar Women Raped During War With Serbia Apply For Compensation (in Albanian)
11. "Human Rights & Advocay – KRCT" . Retrieved 2025-02-11.
12. "Government Commission for the Recognition and Verification of Persons Raped during the War Established". Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare of Kosovo (in Albanian). 28 April 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
13. "STAND SPEAK RISE UP TO END SEXUAL VIOLENCE IN FRAGILE ENVIRONMENTS" (PDF). Stand Speak Rise Up. 2021. Retrieved 11 February 2025.
14. "Feride Rushiti nderohet nga Departamenti Amerikan i Shtetit me çmimin Ndërkombëtar për Gratë e Guximshme". Telegrafi (in Albanian). 2018-03-23. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
15. Kapllani, Jehona (2020-12-30). "Feride Rushiti nderohet nga UBT me çmimin "Excellence Leadership Award"". UBT – Higher Education Institution (in Albanian). Retrieved 2025-02-11.
16. "Feride Rushiti nominated for the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize". Telegrafi. 2025-01-16. Retrieved 2025-02-11.
17. Seery, Christina; Rushiti, Feride; Krasniqi, Sebahate Pacolli; Çarkaxhiu, Selvi Izeti; Xhemaili, Vjosa Devaja; Limani, Dafina Arifaj; Prapashtica, Qëndresa; Turjaka, Vesa; Zekaj, Nebahate; Salihu, Mimoza; Hjort, Line; Ryan, Joanne; Kaas-Petersen, Sara Helene; Wang, Shr-Jie Sharlenna (2024). "Family Therapy for Kosovar Mothers Who Experienced Conflict-Related Sexual Violence and Their Children in Postwar Times: A Pilot Randomised Waitlist-Controlled Trial". Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. 31 (4): e3039. doi: 10.1002/cpp.3039 . ISSN   1099-0879.
18. Rushiti, Feride (2023). "How Male Survivors of Wartime Sexual Violence Navigate Silence and Voice 1". The Politics of Silence, Voice and the In-Between. pp. 95–109. doi:10.4324/9781003349945-8.
19. Hjort, Line; Rushiti, Feride; Wang, Shr-Jie; Fransquet, Peter; Krasniqi, Sebahate; Çarkaxhiu, Selvi; Arifaj, Dafina; Xhemaili, Vjosa Devaja; Salihu, Mimoza; Leku, Nazmie; Ryan, Joanne (2021-06-01). "Intergenerational effects of maternal post-traumatic stress disorder on offspring epigenetic patterns and cortisol levels". Epigenomics. 13 (12): 967–980. doi:10.2217/epi-2021-0015. hdl: 10536/DRO/DU:30166325 . ISSN   1750-1911. PMID   33993712.
20. Skar, Mette; Lokdam, Nicoline; Liebling, Alison; Muriqi, Alban; Haliti, Ditor; Rushiti, Feride; Modvig, Jens (2019-01-01). "Quality of prison life, violence and mental health in Dubrava prison". International Journal of Prisoner Health. 15 (3): 262–272. doi:10.1108/IJPH-10-2017-0047. ISSN   1744-9200.