World must draw lessons from Bosnian War in order to address sexual assault – report

A new expert report warns that we need to learn from the mistakes made after the war in Bosnia, so that we don’t make Ukrainian victims of rape and conflict-related sexual violence suffer for decades.

According to Ukrainian prosecutors and investigators from the United Nations and other international organizations, there is growing evidence that Russian troops are using rape and sexual violence as a method of terror in Ukraine. This is similar to how the Bosnian Serb army used rape during the Bosnian war in the 1990s. Russia says it didn’t do it.

The New Lines Institute for Strategy and Policy, which is a think tank in the US, has written a report. This report will be shared and talked about in a debate in the UK Parliament on Thursday.

This means that in order to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again in Ukraine, the world should prioritize helping the victims. In Bosnia, a lot of people have waited a long time before speaking up, and most of the sexual crimes that happened there have not been punished.

Emily Prey, one of the main people who wrote the report, said that during the war in Bosnia, rape was a big part of what happened. However, when we look at the Dayton Peace Accords, which ended the war in 1995, women who survived sexual violence during the conflict were not included in the discussions.

She told CNN that the people were not involved in the peace talks, and as a result, the Dayton Accords only temporarily stopped the fighting instead of achieving a long-lasting and stable peace.

Prey said that it is very important to forget about prejudices and negative judgments and ensure that all individuals affected by sexual violence in conflicts are included.

Many times, we believe that sexual violence only happens to women, but it actually happens to everyone. Prey said that this includes both women and girls, as well as men, boys, and people with different gender identities.

Men who experienced sexual violence in the Bosnian war are just now starting to speak up about it. These men have suffered for many years without getting the help they require. And we can see this happening in Ukraine too.

Prey also mentioned that children who are born as a result of rape during war are often overlooked and ignored. Between 2,000 and 4,000 kids were born from the recorded instances of war rapes in Bosnia, but there are probably even more than that.

When we don’t pay much attention to sexual violence during conflicts, we tend to overlook the children who are born as a result of rape during wars. In Bosnia, there were children who were not noticed or given attention. They have been struggling for a long time to be seen and acknowledged because they have faced many obstacles and problems in their lives,” she said.

The report also states that it is very important for Ukraine’s friends to be prepared to punish those responsible for their actions on behalf of Ukraine. This can occur either through the UN’s Genocide Convention or in national courts using the principle of universal jurisdiction. Universal jurisdiction allows courts to prosecute individuals for crimes against international law that were committed in other countries.

Prey mentioned a recent incident where a Bosnian Serb soldier was accused of murder and rape. The accused person was moved from Bosnia to Montenegro, where they were currently residing. This incident is seen as a successful example of this system at work.

The International Criminal Court has accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of crimes and is looking into whether Russia committed war crimes in Ukraine. Multiple countries such as Lithuania, Germany, Sweden, and Spain are looking into the accused Russian crimes.

However, Prey mentioned that these situations can be expensive and take a long time. This means that it is important to prioritize giving immediate assistance to the victims. This can include help with their mental and social well-being, as well as providing them with free healthcare and legal aid.

“They may have to wait 10 or 20 years to reach a decision in the court case,” she said. Survivors of sexual violence in conflicts deserve better treatment than what they are currently receiving. They should be treated fairly and held responsible, but they also have to support themselves, take care of their families, and pay their bills. They need help to do all of this.