BiH: time for victims of war-time sexual violence to be heard
As requested since May 2011 by TRIAL and other 12 local associations dealing with women victims of sexual violence from the 1992-1995 conflict, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women, Ms. Rashida Manjoo, will visit Bosnia-Herzegovina from 28 October to 5 November 2012. She will be able to meet with international organizations and representatives of civil society working with women victims of violence.
The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women was established in 1994 in order to enhance the efforts of the international community to eliminate violence against women.
TRIAL has been working in Bosnia since 2007 and is assisting more than 200 direct and indirect victims of the conflict to obtain justice and redress by submitting more than 80 individual communications in front of international human rights bodies.
In May 2011 TRIAL, together with 12 local associations dealing with women victims of sexual violence, submitted a general allegation to the Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women highlighting the existing obstacles in the fulfilment of fundamental rights of women victims of sexual violence during the war. In their submission, TRIAL and its local partners specifically requested the Special Rapporteur to carry out a country visit.
During the country visit, the Special Rapporteur will meet with representatives of State’s authorities and institutions, international organizations, as well as representatives of civil society.
TRIAL welcomes this opportunity and plans on assisting the Special Rapporteur in its country visit in Bosnia-Herzegovina, in particular facilitating access to local organisations. The Special rapporteur’s report on the visit will be issued in March 2013 and presented to the Human Rights Council.
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