{"id":141179,"date":"2016-11-02T11:47:31","date_gmt":"2016-11-02T10:47:31","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.recom.link\/?p=141179"},"modified":"2023-10-24T16:12:40","modified_gmt":"2023-10-24T15:12:40","slug":"victims-war-becoming-invisible-times-peace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.recom.link\/en\/victims-war-becoming-invisible-times-peace\/","title":{"rendered":"Victims of War are Becoming Invisible in Times of Peace"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Mladen Lakic<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t feel any support or empathy or hear someone say, \u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019. No! I heard many people say, \u2018She got what she asked for.\u2019 That hurts\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had stayed there, in Bosnia, I wouldn\u2019t have had an even remotely normal life,\u201d says MR, a women victim of rape during the war. When the war ended, she left Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Her husband knows what she went through, but she didn\u2019t dare to tell anything to her child. \u201cI could never do that. Not even if I had two more life times to live,\u201d MR continues, asking us not reveal her identity.<\/p>\n

\u201cToday, I work and have a life that one might say looks stable, but I\u2019m not the same person. It marks you for life and there is no doctor or medicine that can fix you,\u201d says MR.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always say to myself: I got another chance. If I had stayed there [BiH]\u2026 who knows,\u201d she pauses to catch her breath. \u201cYou know, people find out about these things in smaller communities. They look at you like you\u2019re\u2026 like this is my sin, like I wanted it,\u201d MR explains.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not ashamed of myself. I know I succeeded in life, but when I back there [BiH] it all comes back\u2026 That is why I don\u2019t like going back, I prefer it here, where I have everything, where I have a new me,\u201d MR continues in her interview for Balkan Diskurs.<\/p>\n

She doesn\u2019t want us to reveal which religion she is because she believes that many women, regardless of their religion, are dealing with the same burden. \u201cThe evil chose us because of it [religion] but we don\u2019t see the difference,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

According to data from the United Nations in BiH around 50,000 women, girls, men and boys were raped during the war from 1992-1995. Today, 21 years after the war has ended, the victims are still seeking justice and understanding. Many of them don\u2019t talk about it because they fear for the safety of themselves and their families and they don\u2019t want to be judged by society. Many of them haven\u2019t even told their loved ones.<\/p>\n

NN1, an interviewee from Br\u010dko, says: \u201cI didn\u2019t feel any support or empathy or hear someone say, \u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019. No! I heard many people say, \u2018She got what she asked for.\u2019 That hurts,\u201d expressed NN1. This is only one example of the kinds of the opinions neighbors, friends, family members and society hold with regard to the victims of these crimes. More details are available in the study conducted by the United Nations Populations Fund (UNFPA) in BiH.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Withdrawing from Society<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sabiha Husi\u0107, Director of the non-governmental organization Medica Zenica has spent 24 years actively providing assistance to victims of wartime rape and other forms of violence. \u201cLabeling victims of rape forces them to withdraw into themselves and into such a silence that they do not demand their rights. Very few have the courage to engage in legal processes and ensure that justice is served,\u201d says Husi\u0107. According to her, many people will tell you that they don\u2019t know anyone who is a victim of this type of crime, however, when you calculate the numbers, it is clear that this is impossible.<\/p>\n

Husi\u0107 warns of the discrimination that occurs during the process of acquiring official status as a \u201ccivilian victim of war\u201d. She further explains: \u201cWith new amendments to the Law on Social Protection, this area is fairly well regulated in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity, with a lot of help from civil society and international organizations. However, in the Republika Srpska entity victims have no such rights because the legal deadline for status registration expired in 2007.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH, Jasminka D\u017eumhur, says that the most painful blow to the victims is not receiving that status. \u201cThe Law on the Protection of Victims of Torture, which presents clearly defined categories within this realm, seems like the best solution and its adoption would greatly remedy this injustice.\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u017eumhur notes that giving the victims a recognized status is very important because many of them are in need of medical assistance and similar benefits. However, even the victims who have a recognized status have trouble within the institutions that are supposed to help them.<\/p>\n

NN3, an interviewee from the UNFPA report, says: \u201cI submitted my health card to the reception desk at 6:30am, but I had to wait until 2:30pm to be seen. I asked the doctor, \u2018How is it possible for someone who shows up at the doctors\u2019 that early has to wait so many hours to be seen?\u2019 My health card clearly states, \u2018Woman Victim of War\u2019. The doctor asks, \u2018How come you are a victim of war?\u2019 And then the insults start\u2026 He tells me that if I didn\u2019t really want it, none of it would have happened to me. He throws my card on the floor like I\u2019m a dog\u201d.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The Defendant Has No Money<\/strong><\/p>\n

All of our interviewees agree that the state is obligated to provide full rights for victims of wartime sexual violence. \u201cThe gaps that exist are inconsistent with international law and various conventions, as well as the state, must provide a mechanism to stop these bad practices,\u201d D\u017eumhur emphasizes.<\/p>\n

She recalled that the Court of BiH has issued three verdicts for the crime of wartime rape for which the accused didn\u2019t have the money to pay damages to the victim. \u201cIn such a case, the state is considered co-responsible and must ensure that payments are made. On the other hand, the victim has the right to engage in further litigation, but would consequently lose the status of a protected witness, which can be very dangerous,\u201d D\u017eumhur explains.<\/p>\n

The non-governmental organization TRIAL International organized an expert working group, which aimed to prepare amendments for a set of laws on civil litigation and enforcement procedures. The amendments are intended to enable the launch of these litigation procedures without the need to repeal or revise the measures taken to protect a witness\u2019 identity. These amendments will be sent to the Parliament in the near future.<\/p>\n

\u201cEven when you talk in court, the lawyers look at you as a less valuable woman,\u201d says NN1 (UNFPA report).<\/p>\n

\"Victims<\/p>\n

D\u017eumhur continues on to explain that many good things have been done in order to keep this segment functioning.<\/p>\n

\u201cNew staff members have been hired in the prosecutors\u2019 offices and in the courts to provide support witnesses, investments from international donors have gone towards improving the rooms where victims give their testimonies, psychologists have been employed\u2026 These are all improvements,\u201d D\u017eumhur reminds us while pointing out that there is still room for further improvements.<\/p>\n

Husi\u0107 later notes that victims are often used as a manipulation tool for political purposes, explaining that this is one of the reasons why she cooperates with the Association of Women from Banja Luka.<\/p>\n

\u201cThrough this cooperation, we show that the victim has no nationality and this is important now and in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

D\u017eumhur concludes by saying that our painful experiences can not only serve as an example to others but also to ourselves regarding correcting what is wrong so that the victims can receive justice.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

(This article has been published on balkandiskurs 26. 10. 2016.)<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"By Mladen Lakic \u201cI didn\u2019t feel any support or empathy or hear someone say, \u2018I\u2019m sorry\u2019. No! 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