Three decades after the violent conflicts that claimed thousands of lives and profoundly shaped those who survived, a central question remains across the Western Balkans: how can the voices, experiences, and needs of those most affected be placed at the center of policy and societal action?
For survivors and victims’ families, memorials have a profound significance, but this meaning often does not extend beyond individual communities. Although this form of commemoration is important, experts warn that alone, it is insufficient for dealing with the past.
Memorialization in post-conflict societies is often neglected. At the same time, memory is one of the most efficient tools to define the present and legitimize the current sociopolitical environment.
Public memorialization, which includes the erection of monuments and memorials, is an integral component of transitional justice and dealing with the past.
Alongside turbulent histories and complex peace agreements, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Northern Ireland share another similarity: the rising rates of violence against women and girls.