“Speak up on Time – Sexual Violence is a Crime”

28.11.2019

Campaign by EULEX Kosovo raises awareness of biological evidence preservation in sexual crimes.

EULEX, a civilian CSDP Mission, will run the awareness raising campaign in partnership with the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Kosovo Police until mid-2020.  The campaign aims to raise public awareness, especially among children, of the importance of biological evidence preservation in sexual violence cases, and at providing information on how to preserve such evidence to help bring perpetrators to justice.

The “Speak up on Time” campaign envisages the organization of a series of educational lectures to 32 schools throughout Kosovo. In the past three months, a team of experts from the Institute of Forensic Medicine and the Kosovo Police have visited 12 elementary schools and high schools in Kosovo and delivered a series of lectures on the importance of biological evidence preservation in sexual violence cases.

Background: The EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX) was established in 2008. The Mission assists the Kosovo authorities in strengthening the rule of law institutions by conducting monitoring of judicial and prosecutorial cases; supporting the Kosovo Correctional Service through monitoring, mentoring and advising; providing support to the technical implementation of the EU-facilitated dialogue; maintaining limited residual capability as second security responder; assisting the Kosovo Specialist Chambers and Specialist Prosecutor’s Office; and providing expert assistance to the Institute of Forensic Medicine, including in the area of missing persons.