From May 7-10, the Women's Court in Sarajevo gathered some 500 women from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Macedonia, Montenegro, Slovenia and Serbia to share their personal stories from during and after the Balkan wars in the 90s, and how this period affected, and still affects, their lives.

"I am a heroine!" said one of the younger women who testified. She had survived a long period of sexual violence, rape and torture as a teenager in one of the rape camps, a more or less violent marriage, divorce, and then a new beginning.

Courage

The most powerful thing about the Women's Court was that the women survivors and their testimonies were at the center of it. They were the subjects, taking power of the space and of their own stories. The rest of us only listened, showing them our solidarity and applauding their courage.

"In the end I had to pick sides. I became part of us and them," said one woman. But there were also many stories of resistance and humanity, of neighbors helping each other in spite of personal risks, of strangers helping strangers.

After each group of witnesses had spoken, a few so-called expert witnesses—academics, activists and others—shared an analysis of the background of the wars and events of that period, giving a framework to the individual stories.

Impunity still widespread

For instance, it becomes obvious how gender structures were cemented. Almost none of the men in the women’s stories survived. The children and their survival (and physical and mental health) became the responsibility of the women, either because women and men were separated, or because women took these responsibilities upon themselves.

Impunity is also widespread. Several women testified that perpetrators are still free and walking the streets of their hometowns, and some even hold political positions.

The Women's Court was attended by Jelena Causevic and Gordan Bosanac from Centre for Peace Studies. They expressed full support for the decisions and recommendations of this institution.