"I'm thinking about you", launched for the abused women of Kosovo in Strasbourg

Almost a decade after the journey began in Pristina – when “I Think of You” with the dresses of women raped in war not only conquered the stadium, but also the whole world through images, Strasbourg will be the next host of the installation, which now speaks a universal language. On Tuesday, even what is known as the European capital of human rights learned a little from the global project of the artist Alketa Xhafa-Mripa. She presented it at the 48th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe as a powerful call for awareness, justice and solidarity with victims of sexual violence in armed conflicts. It precedes the official inauguration, which will be held on June 19, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict

"This skirt has a closed history from the spring of 1998! Dardania I, Peja," was written on the top of the sky-blue dress, which was part of the "Thinking of You" installation at the Pristina Stadium in June 2015.

But since then, the stories of Kosovar women who are survivors of sexual violence have moved through various European countries. Fragments of the sad mosaic of sexual violence during the recent war in Kosovo have been told. On Tuesday, even what is known as the European capital of human rights, Strasbourg, learned a little from the global project of artist Alketa Xhafa-Mripa. It will learn more in June when the installation will take place there. The artist, who in Kosovo had collected dresses and other clothes of victims of violence, who - according to international organizations are estimated to be 20 thousand people - has given the project a global character.

At the 48th session of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Council of Europe, Xhafa-Mripa presented the "Thinking of You" project.

The project in Strasbourg is presented as a powerful call for awareness, justice and solidarity with victims of sexual violence in armed conflict. The presentation of the artwork within the Congress precedes the official inauguration, which will be held on 19 June, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict. The project aims to bring attention to the open wounds of this systematic violence and highlights the need for coordinated international action.

"When I first created 'Thinking of You' in 2015, in Pristina, I did so with a deep sense of responsibility," said artist Xhafa-Mripa at the very beginning to the audience, in what is now the Palace of Europe.  As images of the installation appeared behind her, Xhafa-Mripa said that as an artist she believes in the power of art to tell stories that words alone cannot tell.

“As a young woman from Kosovo, I was fortunate enough to escape a devastated country and go to London to study art. Others were not so lucky. I felt it was my time and mission as an artist to honor the thousands of survivors of wartime sexual violence, women and girls who had suffered in silence, their pain buried under shame and stigma,” she said. She explained that the idea was simple but powerful: thousands of dresses, donated by survivors themselves and people from all walks of life, displayed on washing lines, an everyday domestic scene transformed into a symbol of survival and resilience.

"This installation is a statement of solidarity, a way for us to finally say: We see you. We hear you. You are not forgotten," she said. But, according to her, this message was never just about one conflict as it is a universal call for justice.

"That's why in 2024 'Thinking of You' was presented in The Hague, the city of international peace and justice. Clothes from Kosovo to Ukraine, from Bosnia to Rwanda and from Congo to Sudan and many other places... stories of survivors from all over the world were given the recognition they deserve," she said.

He explained that it was a reminder that sexual violence in conflict is not just a past atrocity but an ongoing crisis. He called for justice not to be delayed.

"Europe was built on the promise: Never again. Never again by never allowing war crimes to be met with silence, never again by turning a blind eye to the suffering of those who have endured the unimaginable. If we claim to protect human rights, then we must live up to these claims, not just in words, but in actions," she said.

While addressing the audience, he said he is looking forward to bringing “Thinking of You” to Strasbourg, a city that stands as a symbol of human rights and European unity. For him, bringing this work to the heart of Europe is a powerful step towards ensuring that the voices of survivors are heard on an international stage. But this move goes further.

"It is a call for action, for policy change and for recognition. Because true justice is not just about recognizing the past, it is about shaping a future where no survivor feels invisible. The right to be seen, to be heard and to seek justice is not an abstract ideal, it is a European value. It is the foundation of our institutions, the reason why Strasbourg exists as more than a city," she said.

He explained that for him this project is more than art. He also described it as a promise.

"A promise that these women and men will not be erased from history. A promise that we will continue to fight for truth and justice. A promise that we will stand with the survivors, always and forever," she said.

Last year, “Thinking of You” took center stage in the atrium of The Hague’s city hall and along the tree-lined avenue in the Lange Voorhout. This time, it brought together dresses and skirts from survivors of sexual violence from around the world. As artist Xhafa-Mripa said at the time in The Hague, she aimed to draw attention to the reality of sexual violence in conflicts and its human consequences.

“It will challenge a broad audience to think more deeply about the lived realities of survivors around the world and mobilize key decision-makers to take stronger action in preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence,” Xhafa Mripa said at the time. The Hague, seen as the international city of peace and justice, was described by the artist as the best place to present this installation. The installation was also presented there on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, on June 19.

The “Thinking of You” project has also been presented in London, Brussels and Vienna. The dresses have also been presented in these places and new clothes have also been added. The installation was enriched on Tuesday. After speeches by the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg on sexual violence in conflict zones, as well as Chébéka Hachem, president of the Free Afghanistan association, Xhafa-Mripa was presented with a T-shirt by the Duchess herself, who leads the “Stand, Speak, Rise Up!” association.