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Amnesty International: No Justice for Women in Bos

Wednesday, September 30, 2009
During the Bosnian armed conflict from 1992 to 1995, thousands of Bosnian women were systematically raped, tortured, and physically assaulted by Serb forces, according to an Amnesty International report released on 30 September 2009. The authorities of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), however, have not provided justice or reparation to victims; and according to the Amnesty report, this neglect is a further human rights abuse on the part of successive BiH governments.

Nicola Duckworth, the director of Amnesty International's Europe and Central Asia Program, argues that perpetrators of violence during the war should be brought to justice by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and full reparations should be made to the thousands of women who were raped and assaulted during that time. Additionally, there is very little psychological support or healthcare to aid women targeted during the Bosnian armed conflict, and many women face stigmatization as a result of their rape.

“The authorities must ensure comprehensive investigations that lead to prosecutions of war crimes of sexual violence in the country. Without meaningful justice and full and effective reparation, victims continue to suffer the effects of these horrific crimes,” Duckworth stated. (Amnesty)


Compiled from: “’Whose Justice?’: The Women of Bosnia and Herzegovina Still Waiting” Amnesty International Report (2009). (PDF, 86 pages), Amnesty International;
"Women Raped during Bosnia and Herzegovina Conflict Still Waiting for Justice," (30 September 2009); Gender Concerns International, “Suffering of Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina needs international attention” (30 September 2009).

For More Information

Please see the Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rape as a Weapon of War sections of this website, and the following What's New article: Institute for War Reporting finds that Rape Victims are Still without Justice (8 February 07).

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