A survivor of the Bosnian war: “The truth must come out” Longread Halida Uzunović, a Bosnian war survivor, talks about her experiences during the Bosnian war, especially the harrowing events in Foča that became a byword for brutal ethnic cleansing. The former head of the Foča War Victims Association also reflects on her commitment to breaking the silence about these atrocities and to advocating for truth and justice for the survivors and victims, despite their ongoing social stigmatisation and the denial by some political actors that war crimes occurred.
Conflict-Related Sexual Violence: “We need recognition, safety and dignity” Interview Ajna Jusić’s mother survived conflict-related sexual violence during the 1992–95 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Ajna is one of many children born as a result of such war crimes. Her organisation aims to improve the lives and legal situations of the victims and their children.
Addressing Conflict-Related Sexual Violence Meaningfully Fact Sheet Conflict-related sexual violence is frequently and deliberately used as a weapon of war - with many many devastating impacts. Survivors should be at the center of all preventative efforts and responses. pdf
German Code of Crimes against International Law: gender bias and the need for reform Analyse Germany’s government likes to consider itself a global pioneer in the field of international criminal law, and yet the German Code of Crimes against International Law (Völkerstrafgesetzbuch, CCAIL) contains a gender bias that hampers the prosecution of sexual and gender-based violence in armed conflict in accordance with the Statute of the International Criminal Court. By Karina Theurer
How I energise myself to do the work I do Speech In her acceptance speech Joumana Seif talks about the long road necessary to prosecute the crimes committed by the Syrian regime, to punish the perpetrators and also about the injustices suffered by women and how she is trying to support them in Germany. By Joumana Seif
A tribute to a woman who is making legal history Speech With her work the lawyer Joumana Seif has played a critical role in having sexualised violence recognised as an offence that constitutes a crime against humanity, says Dr. Imme Scholz, head of the Anne Klein Women's Award jury. By Imme Scholz
Sexual violence in the conflict in northern Ethiopia Since 2020 a war has been ongoing in the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. The conflict quickly spread to the neighboring regions of Amhara and Afar, leading to a humanitarian crisis. Sexual violence is being employed deliberately and systematically as an instrument of war by all parties to the conflict in northern Ethiopia. By Franziska Ulm Düsterhöft
No Women, No Peace Speech It was a long way before the implementation of UN Resolution 1325 on the prevention of war and sexual violence against women got on track. On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the resolution, Barbara Unmüßig speaks about what steps and actions have to be taken to approach the goal of female participation in phases of conflict. By Barbara Unmüßig
Sexual Violence in the Holocaust: Perspectives from Ghettos and Camps in Ukraine Background The experiences of women in the Second World War with sexualised violence show that some suffering was gender-specific. According to the sources, sexualised violence against Jewish women and girls was not a by-product of the war, but the war itself, organised and controlled by those who denied Jews their right to exist. By Marta Havryshko
“Because I would have to be sterilized” Report Across Europe, trans people are denied their right to have their gender recognized, unless they fulfill invasive requirements. Human rights bodies have clearly affirmed: this is a violation of trans people’s human rights. By Dodo Karsay