1. Before this is shown please note that this presentation includes material that is of a sensitive nature. Some slides refer to sexual violence and rape.
Women of Courage

2. Introduction
“The women of Bosnia were defiant, courageous, and brave during the war because they kept their children alive. They were holding on to the future by holding their children’s hands…So we – the children of these courageous women- have to open our hearts and souls, and we need to tell the stories…it is the least I can do for my mother, my sisters and the women of Bosnia and Herzegovina” - Elmina Kulasic
So why focus on women? Women experienced conflict in Bosnia in gender specific ways.
-During the Bosnian war, 10,368 women of all ethnicities and faiths lost their lives
-Bosnian women experienced the war in greatly varied ways according to ethnicity, faith, class, age, and importantly location. Rural villages and city centres experienced violence unevenly
- It is especially important to acknowledge and highlight that genocide is not just mass killing; we have to acknowledge the victims of the wider genocidal plan in Bosnia, particularly the 20,000-50,000 women of Bosnia who have survived sexual violence. Through understanding conflict through women’s stories, we learn how war is a feminist issue.
--Women who survived the war and genocide, are left to pick up the pieces, bury their dead, and struggle for justice at the same time often dealing with multi-layered traumas and economic insecurity.
- It is important however to recognise that women in Bosnia are not simply victims of war, but have been powerful agents of change, and the purpose of this event today, is to honour their courage. Their testimonies have been used to bring war criminals to justice, and to support others who have suffered these grave injustices.

3. Background
The history of Bosnia is very intricate and rich. It was a part of what was known as Yugoslavia.
1) From 1945 through to the death of Yugoslav Dictator Josip Broz Tito, the Balkans enjoyed a period of relative stability and ethnic tolerance. In the 1980s, the decline of communism and a rise in nationalism undermined the unity of the Yugoslav state. The six republics of former Yugoslavia disintegrated into civil war in 1991.
In Bosnia-Herzegovina three dominant ethno-national-religious groups emerged: Bosniaks (Bosnian Muslims); Bosnian Serb nationalists ; Bosnian Croat nationalists.
The capital city of Bosnia is Sarajevo, and is comprised of people of all ethnic and religious heritage. Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia Herzegovina, suffered a 4 year long siege, the longest siege of a capital city in the history of modern warfare. During these years, 10,000 people were killed, and 60,000 injured. A hallmark of the siege was the targeting of civilians by snipers. 1,500 out of those killed were children.

4. The Women of Sarajevo: “Their bravery was unprecedented”
Women throughout the country displayed extraordinary courage. This famous image is by Tom Stoddart. Pictured are two women running down “Sniper Alley” in Sarajevo
the women of Sarajevo carried on with daily tasks and sustained their families amidst frequent power outages, food shortages and protracted insecurity.
Stoddart says: “Like in all conflicts, the women suffer the most. On average the women of Sarajevo lost 20 kilos. They were running around everywhere, trying to find sustenance for their children, husbands, and parents- putting the needs of their loved ones before their own. They congregated at water pumps and in groups to look for food. It was astounding to watch. Their bravery was unprecedented…It is one of the things about the conflict; alongside the horror, chaos, and needless killing, you are privileged to see amazing acts of humanity, love, and respect.”
- Tom Stoddart, British photojournalist
Tom Stoddart, Reportage by Getty Images

5. Photograph by Tom Stoddart/Getty Images
“I didn’t carry any weapons but I did fight: with my defiance, my dignity, and my refusal to run”
Women responded to war in differing ways. Meliha Varesanovic, a inhabitant of Sarajevo is pictured here. Even though this was during the siege of Sarajevo and the city was suffering immense hardship, Meliha always made a point of carrying on, trying to live a dignified life. She explains elsewhere how she always did her make-up and hair and dressed her best, as she was trying to find a sense of normality amidst the horrors she faced during the siege.
Photograph by Tom Stoddart/Getty Images

6. “Ethnic Cleansing” = Mass Rape and Mass Murder
From the onset of the war, Serb nationalist forces waged a co-ordinated campaign of ‘ethnic cleansing’ intended to create a ‘Greater Serbian’ territory. Their ideology was that those who had adopted Islam during the Ottoman period were genetically deformed and sub-human.
We can see from the map that these mass killings took place throughout the country, especially in the east along the border with Serbia, but also in the north west. Prijedor was one region that suffered horrific events, some of which were very similar to that of Srebrenica.
Mass rape also took place.
Rape in Bosnia was not a by-product of war, rather it was a central feature of an ideology of ethnic cleansing . 20,000 women reported rape, but the figure of women who experienced sexual violence is estimated at 50,000
-Because of the level and breadth of sexual violence and the systematic way it was carried out,
-Sexual violence was not carried out simply to dehumanise and destroy the lives of individual women, but has the affect of breaking apart family relationships, destroying the social fabric and community identity. It was used systematically as a tool of war, to erase an ethnic or religious group identity
It was systematic: women, overwhelmingly Bosnian Muslim women and girls were detained, and enslaved in camps
-when this violence took place in towns and villages, it was often a way to terrorise communities into leaving
Because of the level and breadth of sexual violence and the systematic way it was carried out, prominent scholars (McKinnon) have argued that there is a differentiate between wartime rape and genocidal rape. The victims of genocidal rape are used as a substitute for the entire ethnic group, that rape is used as a tool, with the target being the destruction of the entire ethnic group. This is different from sexual violence as a by-product of conflict.
- It is important to note that many men were also victims of rape and sexual violence. This is even more of a societal taboo, and there are no figures on male victims of sexual violence

7. Srebrenica: What happened?
On 11 July, in 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, led by General Ratko Mladić, systematically massacred 8,372 men and boys.
It was the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.
These individuals are more than just a statistic; they were the fathers, husbands, sons and loved ones of those that were left behind.
-On 11 July, in 1995, Bosnian Serb forces, led by General Ratko Mladić, systematically massacred 8,372 men and boys.
- It was the worst atrocity on European soil since the Second World War.
These individuals are more than just a statistic; they were the fathers, husbands, sons and loved ones of those that were left behind.
Some women have had their entire families wiped out in the genocide and have no living male family members left.

8. The Mothers of Srebrenica Association
Out of necessity women carve out spaces for themselves even in the hardest times. These women are agents of change, not simply passive victims, but recognised for their extraordinary courage and fortitude.
-The women first launched a case under the name of the “Mothers of Srebrenica” in Dutch court, holding the Dutch peacekeeping forces responsible for abandoning Srebrenica and thus allowing the genocide to happen
-On the 11th of each month the Women of Srebrenica continue to hold silent protests, holding posters of genocide victims whose bodies are still missing
-The Mothers as you can see from the picture here, took a memorial quilt to the Hague with them to lobby at the trial of Radovan Karadžić, who was the leader of the Bosnian Serbs forces(These large memorial quilts are made up of individual panels, each of which commemorates a person killed or went missing during the Srebrenica genocide of July The reason behind this focus on individuals is to bring identity to the victims and to counteract the phenomenon of reducing genocide victims to mere numbers.)

9. Picking up the pieces… Recovering bodies
Poverty and high levels of unemployment
High levels of trauma - PTSD
Like in many other post-conflict societies, survivors of war and genocide in Bosnia face multiple and compounding challenges:
-Many bodies of family members and loved ones in Srebrenica have yet to be recovered, making the mourning process protracted and particularly painful. So far 91 mass gravesites have been uncovered in Srebrenica alone. There are still approximately 1000 missing bodies yet to be found
-Poverty and high levels of unemployment as resulting from post-war economic instability and wealth inequality, and corruption. Bosnia’s gross domestic product is only half its pre-war level, and social sector spending is low. Also, many women became head of households as a result of losing male income providers and had to become the sole providers for themselves and their families. Also, due to the harsh economic reality in Bosnia post-war, many young men left Bosnia to look for work abroad.
-Many Bosnians face dealing with high levels of trauma You can see how these issues compound each other, and lead to very difficult circumstances for women and families in Bosnia-Herzegovina.

10. Kada Hotić, Vice President of the Mothers of Srebrenica
“I have told this story thousands of times. I believe God has chosen us to perform this mission, to warn against it happening again. And I pray to live as long as I’m useful and have value.”
Kada buried her husband in 2001 – he among the first to be buried in the funeral service held for 600 found. He had been found in a mass grave in Zvornik.
She buried three leg bones from her son in 2013 – that was all that could be identified. And of her two brothers in 2014 – one of them, Mustafa was interred without a head.
The giving of testimony in efforts to battle ongoing genocide denial, is hugely important, but it should be realised and remembered that this is done at enormous emotional price for survivors. Kada’s courageously says “I have told this story thousands of times. I believe God has chosen us to perform this mission, to warn against it happening again. And I pray to live as long as I’m useful and have value.”

11. Munira Subašić President of the Mothers Association of Srebrenica
“We still believe in goodness. We believe that truth and justice are on our side. We bear no hatred towards those who executed this inhuman plan, because hatred is weakness and we refuse to be weak”
Munira Subašić is the president of the Women’s Association of Srebrenica. She lost 22 members of her family in the genocide, has testified in the Hague, and is highly respected both within Bosnia and internationally. She has won numerous awards both as an individual and on behalf of the Mothers Association. She and also Hatidža Mehmedović have been at the forefront of the women’s efforts to find the bodies of those missing, so that the women of Srebrenica have closure.

12. Wartime violence against women
“Despite encountering and experiencing horrors, women of Bosnia inspire us with their strength. Women, victims of sexual violence during the Bosnian war are heroes. “ Zana Marjanović
In this image, photojournalist Kate Holt is shown xrays of a woman’s womb which was horrifically scarred due to injuries sustained through multiple brutal rapes.
- In numerous wars, including Bosnia, women’s bodies become the front line: sexual violence was used as a Weapon of War. William Hague, who head up he Government's initiative on Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict said that “Sexual violence is used to destroy lives, tear apart communities and achieve military objectives, in just the same way that tanks and bullets are”
-Rape in Bosnia was not a by-product of war, rather it was a central feature of an ideology of ethnic cleansing . 20,000 women reported rape, but the figure of women who experienced sexual violence is estimated at 50,000
-Because of the level and breadth of sexual violence and the systematic way it was carried out,
-Sexual violence and impregnation through rape was not carried out simply to dehumanise and destroy the lives of individual women, but has the affect of breaking apart family relationships, destroying the social fabric and community identity. Sexual violence was used systematically as way to erase an ethnic or religious group identity
It was systematic: women, overwhelmingly Bosnian Muslim women and girls were detained, and enslaved in camps specifically for the purposes of sexual torture
- Because of the level and breadth of sexual violence and the systematic way it was carried out, prominent scholars such as Catherine MacKinnon have argued that there is a differentiate between wartime rape and genocidal rape. The victims of genocidal rape are used as a substitute for the entire ethnic group, that rape is used as a tool, with the target being the destruction of the entire ethnic group. This is different from sexual violence as a by-product of conflict.
- It is important to note that many men were also victims of rape and sexual violence. This is even more of a societal taboo, and there are no figures on male victims of sexual violence

13. Association of Victims of War
“If I were to tell you just one thing I say this: Fight. Never be afraid of standing up to anyone.”
Bakira Hasečić is President of the Association of Women Victims of War . Her organisation campaigns for the rights of women who were the victims of rape and similar crimes during the war, gathering evidence and information about war criminals and rapists hiding in the Republika Srpska entity of Bosnia with a view to securing their prosecution. The Association has provided key testimony in rape and sexual abuse trials linked to the conflict and has helped obtain justice and financial and psychological aid for many of its thousand-plus members.
Bakira herself is a survivor of sexual torture. Her experiences led to her becoming one of the most prominent human rights activists in Bosnia, working with organisations such as Amnesty International and Human Rights wAtch. She campaigns to secure justice for the women victims of the Bosnian War in national and international courts, in particular the victims of rape and sexual abuse. She witnessed the torture of her family and her sister died in a detention camp. She is a constant beacon of unrelenting courage. She gives the women of Britain this message: Fight. Never be afraid of standing up to anyone. In the face of denial and war criminals she sacrifices her personal safety all the time.

14. Women in Black in Belgrade is a branch of a women’s transnational peace group and has been working for 25 years, staging peaceful demonstrations against militarism and standing up against threats of violence from Serbian nationalists. They have faced almost every kind of intimidation and threat, including police interrogations, hate speech, unlawful detention, arrest warrants, confiscations of passports, administrative problems and death threats.
The courageous activists mark all atrocities of war both in the Balkans and further abroad, and Women in Black have consistently marked the Srebrenica genocide in Belgrade. They wear black because it’s a symbol of death and grief, and the vigils are always silent, out of respect, but also as a way of making the point that there are simply no words to describe the terrible pain and inhumanity that war brings.
Their example should move us all to commemorate, and show solidarity with the women of Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Women in Black: Serbia

15. Thank you Connect with us:
Become a Remembering Srebrenica Community Champion and volunteer to hold an Srebrenica Memorial Event every July
Become a Community Champion by making a Pledge to educate others about Srebrenica
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