Video: Children Conceived By Rape In Bosnia And Herzegovina Lack Rights

Recently, international media told the story of many Rohingya refugees who were giving birth in refugee campsto babies who had been conceived nine months earlier by systematic rapes. For many, a reminder forever of the horror they had lived through. 

Rape has been used as a weapon of war for centuries. It happened too during the Bosnian war, between 1992 and 1995. Some estimate that there are 4,000 children born of rape in Bosnia and Herzegovina, although many women have kept silent out of fear.

"Conceived in violence, they grew up marginalized. Now in their mid-twenties, some of them are fighting for recognition."

Ajna Jusic, daughter of a raped victim, says that children born of victims of rape are not considered victims of war in Bosnia, which often leads to discrimination, for example, for not having the father's name.

After facing this kind of discrimination herself, Ajna co-founded The Forgotten Children of War, an organization to help deal with all the bureaucratic problems they face. Although the organization is still very small, they are working on finding more victims.

I thought this was an interesting piece as it proves we tend to forget the victims after the conflict has ended, or has been forgotten by international actors. However, 25 years later, consequences are still visible. It also shows how important journalism is in the aftermath of a war.

"If ignored, these young men and women can become another symbol of a society stuck in a circle of post-war divisions and zero-sum ethnic politics."