The Post-Conflict Research Center in Sarajevo speaks with four women who provide a striking contrast to the way women are usually portrayed in Bosnian society.
God created Adam, and from his rib He created Eve, thus making her dependent on man from the start. Rather than symbolizing a unique and separate entity in itself, womanhood became symbolic of a part—a part, which was meant to make a man whole.
From dawn till dusk in the case of Bosnia-Herzegovina, transition always entails a dose of risk. Most of the time, it is simply fear of loss and failure. Our environment was unfortunately struck by both. Everything that once was is lost, and the fear of what will come tomorrow continues.
In disadvantaged and dismantled societies, Transitional Justice (TJ) will lose all credibility if it has not dealt with social injustice, corruption, exploitation of resources and economic violence. Moving towards reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina requires the rethinking of TJ from the very beginning, while inclusion of economic and social rights is essential for TJ effectiveness.
The third issue of BalkanThemes explores the work of organizations promoting LGBT-friendly dialogue in the Balkans, the struggle of three LGBT individuals in a conservative society and the state of LGBT rights across the region of the former Yugoslavia.