Confessions of Wartime Sexual Violence Victims
This post is also available in: Bosnian
At the Global summit in London, the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network in Bosnia and Herzegovina presented excerpts from its upcoming movie about sexually abused men and women during the Bosnian conflict.
Parts of the movie, which include intimate testimonies of men and women who wurvived terrible traumas during detention in camps and other detention facilities, were presented to international experts and journalists.
Chief editor of the Bosnian BIRN office Erna Mackic spoke after the short movie about the difficulties sexual violence survivors live through every day in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
„Victims of sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still victims of the system and society, which hasn’t allowed them satisfaction of the most elementary human rights. The victims are on the margins of society“, said Mackic.
Bosnian BIRN’s Deputy editor Denis Dzidic spoke about the difficult interviewing process for the movie.
„The interview with victims is extremely difficult, very emotional. Firstly, a journalist must be prepared to hear a traumatic experience. It is important to build a trust with the victim, so that they might agree to speak about the most intimate things they went through“, said Dzidic.
Along with the BIRN movie, the panel also heard from Andy Gitow, an executive producer who worked on a United Nations movie about wartime sexual violence victims.
„What victims want more than anything is access to justice. This is something I have seen throughout the world“, said Gitow.
The panel took place within the Global summit to stop wartime sexual violence which is taking place in London between June 10 and 13.
