By- Sanskriti Koirala
The Socialist Federation Republic of Yugoslavia was constituted of six republics; Croatia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Serbia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. Many of these republics sought to be independent from Yugoslavia. While some were left easy, some had to opt for extreme measures. In 1991, Bosnia and Herzegovina allied with other countries of former Yugoslavia and declared its independence which was the main reason of the four year-long civil war. The declaration from government of Bosnia that it would be independent from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia on 1992 had the Bosnian Serbs feeling threatened as they would result in being the minority in the new state and hence were driven to the idea of ethnic cleansing and acquisition of land and territory. The fear had led to a war between the Bosnian Muslims and Croats as allies and Bosnian Serbs as their foe. The Bosnian Serbs were supported by the strongest military of the then Yugoslavia, Serbia and Montenegro. This war was also the very first time when the International Tribunal had recognized and prosecuted mass rape.
This ethnically rooted war had created a devastating situation for the people living there, especially the children and the women. Most of the human rights activists had already talked about how multiethnic society will have a very hard time existing and this entire concept was seen at risk during the Bosnian war. The four year-long war got very revengeful that the bodies in power became completely ignorant of the International Humanitarian Law. The children and the women were a witness to severe war crimes, gruesome punishment and human rights violation. The men were usually taken to concentration camps or were publicly executed, while the women were sexually abused and harassed which increased the rate of sexual harassment at that time in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The statistics displays that around 50,000 women were subject to gang rapes in what appears to be ‘rape camps’ and currently there are around 2-4,000 children born out of that. The Bosnian Serb forces used gang rapes to create terror and fear which was also seen as a part of ethnic cleansing. These phenomena of sexual atrocities that takes place during ethnically rooted conflicts leave a permanent effect of psychological being of women and life trajectory. During this war, the gang rapes were also reflected as the way to build a masculine nation. Even during all of these course of events, the women played a significant role in the war and even after the war. The women in the Bosnian war promoted gender equality and also helped a lot in mental and emotional support of those who were traumatized by various instances of the war. All of these known cases are the ones that were reported. It is estimated that there were even more cases that remained unreported. The police officers who were involved in the sexual harassment cases still hold the position of power and that is why the unreported cases remain so. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) had declared this as “systematic rape” and “sexual enslavement” which was one of the most gruesome war crimes and crime against humanity second to genocide. ICTY has also contributed to the safety of women against the sexual atrocities through its own landmark judicial holdings and decisions.
The children during the war were also subject to various human rights and fundamental rights violation. The UN estimates that around 6,000 to 11,000 children were killed during the war and around 3,000 to 4,000 children took part in the war as child soldiers and fought the war. Making children work as soldiers give a rise to PTSD, depression and hostility in them. They were separated from their families which was followed by extreme grief and sadness, and were also exposed closely to war and crimes. A cross-sectional survey displayed that almost 94% of the children met various mental disorders and severe anxiety. Children with more critical conditions had faced death of a close person (usually a family member) and various torturous events which also led them to develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). These events mark the necessity of mental health advocacy and addressal of effects of war on the well social and emotional being of the children. The children that took birth during or after the war were also born with various kinds of disabilities due to the mental and physical trauma of their mothers. Till date, these mothers and children have negative stigmas attached to them. The children are also derogated as “children of war”, “children of hate” or “invisible children” and many more. Considering that almost 30% of the war crimes during this war were sexual abuses against Bosnian women, a lot of women are also subject to these stigmas. They were labelled as the woman or prostitutes who sold their body to these men for food.
The war ended on 14th December, 1995 with the signing of the Dayton Accord which was a peace treaty between the two parties in Ohio. Today, Bosnia and Herzegovina is an independent country and the victims of war have been being aided and supported through various international organizations and countries. Many organizations dedicated to women empowerment have been carrying out various trainings and opportunities for women to learn new skills and to establish themselves. The children, their rights and freedom are safeguarded and they are provided quality education.
Some major steps that can be taken for the welfare of women and children during warfare can be establishment of institutes to prevent the happening of gender-based violence towards women and girls in war. The interest of women and children should also be included in the peace-keeping treaties to ensure the future safeguarding of those people and their welfare. International Organizations like the UN, UNICEF, UNESCO, etc. should also be quick to sanction the citizens who are in danger of being affected by the war and the crimes that follows.
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