Feride Rushiti is a
Kosovan activist, director of the "Kosovo Center for the Rehabilitation of Torture Survivors" (QKRMT) and is one of the pioneering human rights activists in Kosovo. Rushiti received the U.S. Secretary of State's
International Women of Courage Award
The International Women of Courage Award, also referred to as the U.S. Secretary of State's International Women of Courage Award, is an American award presented annually by the United States Department of State to women around the world who have ...
from
US First Lady
The first lady of the United States (FLOTUS) is the title held by the hostess of the White House, usually the wife of the president of the United States, concurrent with the president's term in office. Although the first lady's role has never ...
Melania Trump
Melania Trump ( ; born Melanija Knavs , Germanized as Melania Knauss ; born April 26, 1970) is a Slovene-American former model and businesswoman who served as First Lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021 as the wife of 45th president Do ...
on 23 March 2018.
She completed her studies at the Faculty of Medicine in
Tirana
Tirana ( , ; aln, Tirona) is the capital and largest city of Albania. It is located in the centre of the country, enclosed by mountains and hills with Dajti rising to the east and a slight valley to the northwest overlooking the Adriatic Sea ...
,
Albania
Albania ( ; sq, Shqipëri or ), or , also or . officially the Republic of Albania ( sq, Republika e Shqipërisë), is a country in Southeastern Europe. It is located on the Adriatic and Ionian Seas within the Mediterranean Sea and shares ...
in 1997 where she specialized in gastroenterology.
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.
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. They started enrolling in February 2018. War rape survivors can receive $ 280 (about 228 Euro) in monthly compensation.
Not All Kosovar Women Raped During War With Serbia Apply For Compensation
References
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Kosovan gastroenterologists
Recipients of the International Women of Courage Award
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