Medica mondiale
Professional services
UnclaimedMedica mondiale is a German women's-rights and humanitarian organisation supporting women and girls affected by sexualised violence in wars and conflict settings.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Medica mondiale is a Cologne-based German women's-rights and humanitarian organisation focused on women and girls who have experienced, or are at risk of, sexualised violence in war and armed conflict. Its work combines direct support, institutional capacity building, documentation, public education and political advocacy. Rather than treating violence solely as an individual medical problem, the organisation addresses the psychological, social, legal and political conditions that shape survivors' lives and the prospects for preventing further abuse. The organisation emerged from the Bosnian war. In late 1992, German gynaecologist Monika Hauser travelled to the former Yugoslavia after becoming alarmed by reports of mass rape and by the limited public response to the crimes. In April 1993, she and local psychologists and physicians established Medica Zenica in Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The centre developed an interdisciplinary model for assisting women and children affected by war trauma. Supporters in Germany collected donations, organised relief convoys and raised public awareness; in June 1993, Hauser founded the Medica mondiale association in Cologne to coordinate and sustain this work. The model subsequently expanded beyond Bosnia. Medica Zenica received formal recognition as a humanitarian organisation in 1996. Following the Kosovo war, the organisation supported work in Kosovo and Albania, including an interdisciplinary women's counselling centre in Gjakova. That centre became independent in 2011. Medica mondiale also helped establish Medica Afghanistan in the early 2000s; it became independent in 2011. In Liberia, the organisation worked with Welthungerhilfe from 2006 and supported the development of medica Liberia, which became independent in 2015. Since 2004, a project fund has supported selected women's organisations, particularly in the African Great Lakes region. Since autumn 2014, the organisation has worked with partners responding to sexual violence affecting women and girls in Syria, Iraq, Turkey and displacement settings. Medica mondiale's services and partnerships can include medical and psychosocial care, legal advice and representation, livelihood support, documentation of crimes, and assistance in preparing complaints or other legal action. It trains local professionals and organisations, and seeks to ensure that locally established initiatives can eventually operate independently while continuing to receive appropriate advice or financial support. Its stress- and trauma-sensitive approach is designed to reduce additional stress, avoid retraumatisation and strengthen survivors' agency and self-esteem. Training is offered to professionals and managers working in international cooperation, peacebuilding, conflict transformation, migration, mental health, human rights and gender justice. Advocacy is central to the organisation's identity. Medica mondiale campaigns against sexualised wartime violence, calls for the implementation and development of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, and engages politicians, public institutions and civil-society networks through events, position papers and open letters. It presents itself as part of the international women's movement and rejects nationalism and fundamentalism while grounding its work in universal human rights and respect for cultural and social diversity. Funding comes from donations and public grants, with financial reporting provided through annual reports. The organisation remains an active specialist NGO rather than a commercial consumer brand.
History
Medica mondiale was created in response to the mass rape of women during the Bosnian war and the perceived failure of governments, media and humanitarian systems to respond adequately. Monika Hauser, a German gynaecologist, went to the conflict area in late 1992. In April 1993, she worked with approximately twenty local psychologists and physicians to open Medica Zenica in Zenica. The centre pioneered an interdisciplinary response that brought together medical care, psychological support and social assistance for women and children living with war trauma. German supporters raised donations, arranged supply convoys and publicised the situation; Hauser then founded the Medica mondiale association in Cologne in June 1993. The Bosnian work became the foundation for a wider international model. Medica Zenica was officially recognised as a humanitarian organisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1996. After the Kosovo war, activities expanded to Kosovo and Albania, including a women's counselling centre in rural Gjakova. The Gjakova organisation later became independent in 2011. Medica mondiale also supported the creation of Medica Afghanistan in the early 2000s. That organisation became independent in 2011, although the political environment for women and girls deteriorated sharply after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021. From 2004 onward, Medica mondiale used a project fund to support selected women's organisations, especially in the Great Lakes region of Central Africa. Its partnerships included organisations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi. In south-eastern Liberia, it began a joint project with Welthungerhilfe in 2006 to provide medical and psychosocial care and support for Liberian women. The locally established medica Liberia became independent in 2015. The organisation's geographic focus expanded again in autumn 2014 to the Syria-Iraq region and Turkey. There, it supported women and girls affected or threatened by sexual violence in their home communities and among refugee populations. Across these contexts, Medica mondiale emphasised local expertise and long-term institutional development rather than short-term relief alone. It helped train local practitioners, establish counselling and health facilities, document crimes and strengthen women's access to legal remedies and livelihoods. A major intellectual and practical contribution has been the organisation's stress- and trauma-sensitive approach. The method seeks to recognise trauma dynamics, limit additional stress, prevent retraumatisation and help people affected by violence regain safety, self-confidence and control. Medica mondiale has adapted the approach for training multipliers and professionals working in international cooperation, migration, mental health, conflict transformation, peacebuilding, human rights and gender justice. The organisation has also promoted trauma-sensitive practice among police, health workers, legal professionals and non-governmental organisations. Its public advocacy developed alongside its field work. The 2005 “Zeit zu sprechen” campaign drew attention to sexual violence against women during the Second World War. The “Im Einsatz” campaign, conducted from 2008 to 2011, focused on women and girls in war and crisis areas and sought public support for them. In 2015, Medica mondiale and Medica Zenica published a systematic study of the long-term consequences of wartime rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina. From 2016, with support from the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Health, Emancipation, Nursing and Age, the organisation provided training for workers and volunteers supporting refugees and protection seekers. In the same year, it worked with the Cologne Refugee Council on a position paper concerning the protection of women in refugee accommodation. Medica mondiale advocates implementation and further development of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, participates in German civil-society networks and engages decision-makers through events, political discussions, position papers and open letters. Its current model combines direct survivor support, partner funding, professional training, documentation, public education and structural advocacy. The organisation is financed through donations and public grants and reports its income and expenditure through annual reporting.
- 2021
Afghanistan crisis deepens after Taliban takeover
[1]The Taliban's return to power in August sharply worsened restrictions on women's public participation, civil rights and freedoms, increasing the risks faced by women and girls.
- 2016
Refugee-support training and protection advocacy
[1]Medica mondiale began training workers and volunteers assisting refugees and worked with the Cologne Refugee Council on protection standards for women in refugee accommodation.
- 2015
Study on the long-term effects of wartime rape
[1]Medica mondiale and Medica Zenica published a systematic study on the long-term consequences of war rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- 2015
Medica Liberia becomes independent
[1]The women's-rights organisation developed through the Liberia programme became independent.
- 2014
Work expands to the Syria-Iraq region and Turkey
[1]From autumn 2014, the organisation supported partners assisting women and girls affected or threatened by sexual violence in Syria, Iraq, Turkey and displacement settings.
- 2011
Partner organisations in Kosovo and Afghanistan become independent
[1]Medica Gjakova in Kosovo and Medica Afghanistan became independent organisations after periods of support and development.
- 2008
Im Einsatz campaign launches
[1]The campaign informed the public about women and girls in war and crisis areas and called for support for affected communities.
- 2006
Joint work begins in Liberia
[1]Medica mondiale began a joint project with Welthungerhilfe in south-eastern Liberia, combining medical and psychosocial support for women.
- 2005
Zeit zu sprechen campaign
[1]The campaign addressed sexual violence against women during the Second World War and sought to bring the subject into public discussion.
- 2004
Project fund begins supporting African partners
[1]A project fund began directing grants to selected women's organisations, particularly in the African Great Lakes region.
Products and positioning
A specialist women's-rights and humanitarian organisation combining survivor-centred services with local capacity building and political advocacy against sexualised violence in war.
Humanitarian and health services · 1993
Survivor medical and psychosocial support
Medica mondiale supports medical, psychological and social services for women and girls affected by conflict-related sexual violence and war trauma. Delivery is generally organised through local partner organisations and specialist centres, with an emphasis on safety, dignity, recovery and survivor agency rather than one-time emergency intervention.
Legal and human-rights services · 1993
Legal advice and documentation
The organisation and its partners provide legal counselling and, where possible, representation for women affected by sexualised violence. Work may include documenting crimes, preparing complaints and helping survivors navigate legal and institutional systems.
Professional training
Stress- and trauma-sensitive approach
This practice framework helps professionals recognise trauma dynamics, minimise additional stress and avoid retraumatisation. Medica mondiale trains trainers and practitioners working in humanitarian aid, migration, mental health, peacebuilding, conflict transformation, human rights and gender justice.
Nonprofit partnership support · 2004
Partner capacity building and project funding
Medica mondiale funds and advises local women's organisations, helps establish counselling and healthcare structures, develops local expertise and supports organisations on their path toward independence. Since 2004, a project fund has been particularly associated with partner work in the African Great Lakes region.
Marketing campaigns
- 2008Im Einsatz
Germany
A campaign running from 2008 to 2011 that highlighted women and girls living in war and crisis areas and asked the public to support them.
Outcome. The campaign raised awareness and support for affected women and girls; no quantified result is provided in the available material.
- 2005Zeit zu sprechen
Germany
A public-awareness campaign addressing sexual violence against women during the Second World War and encouraging broader discussion of crimes that had received insufficient attention.
Outcome. The campaign increased public visibility of wartime sexual violence; a quantified outcome is not specified in the available material.
Brand decisions
2016
Increase trauma-sensitive support for refugees in GermanyStrategyBackground
Workers and volunteers supporting refugees needed specialist guidance on violence, trauma and the protection of women in accommodation settings.
Action taken
With support from the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Health, Emancipation, Nursing and Age, Medica mondiale offered training and worked with the Cologne Refugee Council on a policy paper.
Aftermath
The organisation extended its trauma-sensitive and protection work into Germany's refugee-support and public-policy systems.
2014
Expand response to the Syria-Iraq crisisStrategyBackground
Civil war in Syria, instability in Iraq and displacement created heightened risks of sexual violence for women and girls.
Action taken
From autumn 2014, Medica mondiale began working with partners in the Syria-Iraq region and Turkey, including support for women in their home areas and as refugees.
Aftermath
The organisation added the Middle East and displacement settings to its established portfolio of conflict-response work.
2004
Introduce a project-fund partnership modelStrategyBackground
The organisation sought to extend its work beyond directly operated centres and support locally rooted women's organisations in conflict-affected regions.
Action taken
It began channeling grants through a project fund to selected partner organisations, particularly in the African Great Lakes region.
Aftermath
The model broadened Medica mondiale's geographic reach and placed greater emphasis on local capacity and organisational independence.
Sources2 sources
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