Three decades after the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, we are witnessing a social and legal turning point in the fight for equal rights and equal opportunities in Bosnian society. Today, the authorities in the Federation of BiH adopted the Law on the Protection of Civilian Victims of War, which should ensure adequate protection of civilian victims of war, given that such protection was lacking 30 years ago. Today, children born as a result of wartime rape are recognized as a special, equal category of society, and they are granted rights that were not available to them since their birth, the “Forgotten Children of War” Association announced.
Commenting on this historic step, Alen Muhić from the “Forgotten Children of War” Association said that this law is very important to him.
“I spoke for the first time when I was nine years old, today I am 30 and I am the father of two sons. I am happy that the day has come for the government representatives to finally hear our voice, the voice of justice and equality. The moment the state stands by you and shows with its laws that you are an equal member of society, then the fight against social stigma and discrimination becomes easier and more effective. Let this law be a warning to us that we must not create a society and a system that supports war crimes and ignores the victims. Let this law be a warning to us that my sons must not inherit this social stigma. My children and I deserve a life enriched by democratic values and human rights values,” said Muhić.
Ajna Jusić, president of the “Forgotten Children of War” Association, thanked everyone who participated in this long-standing struggle.
“Thank you to everyone who supported this fight, thank you for making our speaking about the truth visible. But, above all, thanks to our heroines who survived wartime sexual violence, to our mothers for weaving the path of struggle for the rights of civilian victims of war. Thank you to us, children born because of war. We want to point out that from the very beginning we stressed that our fight is based on responsibility,” said Jusić.
She emphasized that it is the state’s responsibility to ensure a life without discrimination, equal opportunities and dignified walking in a sovereign, territorially determined Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Midheta Kaloper, president of the Association of War Victims of Foča 92-95, welcomed the adoption of the Law on Civilian War Victims at the FBiH level.
“I especially welcome the introduction of a new category, i.e. children who were born from the act of rape. Thank you to Minister Delic and his colleagues, who had an exceptional ear for this population. With the adoption of this law, it has been proven that everything is possible when you have good interlocutors from government institutions and the NGO sector. The fact is that the wait was too long, thirty years. I regret that many heroines did not receive this law and the rights that belong to them. I hope that with the entry into force of this law, the state will stop considering us as social cases, and that all the rights stated in this law will be respected in the entire FBiH,” Kaloper said.
Merjem Muhadžić from the “Forgotten Children of the War” Association emphasizes that the Law represents a turning point in Bosnian society.
“The adoption of the Law on the Protection of Civilian War Victims of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina not only gives legal recognition of the existence of this category of society, but also informs the Bosnian society that it is necessary to recognize the existence of this category of society in order to get closer to the ideal of a society of equal values. This law represents an important turning point in the mission of citizens and authorities directed towards the implementation of the most important international documents in the field of human rights of which Bosnia and Herzegovina is a member,” Muhadžić pointed out.
