Dissertation on
Then and Now: Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War against Bosnian Women during the
Disintegration of Yugoslavia and Violence Agai
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, DISSERTATION: SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS WEAPONS AGAINST BOSNIAN WOMEN 2
Table of Contents
Table of Contents .................................................................................................................................... 2
Chapter 1: Introduction ............................................................................................................................ 4
1.1: Background and context ............................................................................................................... 4
1:2: Research Questions:..................................................................................................................... 5
Chapter 2: Literature review .................................................................................................................... 6
2.1: Introduction.................................................................................................................................. 6
2.2: How sexual violence became a weapon of war and a strategy of ethnic cleansing against Bosnian
women during the war following the disintegration of Yugoslavia. ...................................................... 6
2.3: The current data and nature of violence against women in Bosnia ................................................ 7
2.4: The effects of the nature of sexual violence during the Bosnian conflict on violence against women
in today's Bosnia ................................................................................................................................. 8
2.4.1: Physical deformities ............................................................................................................... 8
2.4.2: Self-harm ............................................................................................................................... 9
2.4.3: Guilt, shame and disgrace to religion ..................................................................................... 9
2.4.4: Dissociation ........................................................................................................................... 9
2.4.5: Panic attacks ......................................................................................................................... 9
2.4.6: Sexually Transmitted diseases ................................................................................................ 9
2.4.7: Pregnancies ......................................................................................................................... 10
2.4.8: Drug and substance use ....................................................................................................... 10
2.4.9: Eating and sleeping disorders .............................................................................................. 10
2.4.10: Suicide ............................................................................................................................... 10
2.5: How the international community treated the use of sexual violence in wartime .......................... 10
2.6: International documents that addressed sexual violence against women...................................... 11
2.6.1: Genocide convention ............................................................................................................ 12
2.6.2: Geneva conventions and protocols ....................................................................................... 12
2.6.3: The Geneva Convention in Protection of Civilians in Times of War ...................................... 12
2.6.4: Additional protocols............................................................................................................. 12
2.6.5: International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights ............................................................... 13
2.7: Institutional/legislative and strategic frameworks to improve gender equality to prevent and
combat violence against women in Bosnia ......................................................................................... 13
2.8: The effects of international law on women's Human rights .......................................................... 13
2.9: International law shortcomings in addressing Women's human rights ......................................... 14
2.9.1: Male-dominated policymakers ............................................................................................. 14
, DISSERTATION: SEXUAL VIOLENCE AS WEAPONS AGAINST BOSNIAN WOMEN 3
2.9.2: Perpetuation of international law on domestic attitudes ....................................................... 14
2.9.3: Human rights violators are punished as sacrifices to end conflicts and hostilities. ................ 14
2.9.4: Remedies against non-complying States do not exist. ............................................................ 15
2.10: Progress in stopping sexual violence and rape in Bosnia .......................................................... 15
2.11: Formation of crimes tribunals for the former Yugoslavian crimes ............................................. 15
2.12: The United States lawsuits ........................................................................................................ 15
2.13: Recommendations of the United Nations World Conference on Human Rights and their progress
.......................................................................................................................................................... 16
Chapter 3: Methodology ........................................................................................................................ 17
3.1: Introduction................................................................................................................................ 17
3.1: The survey's theoretical and methodological structure ................................................................ 17
3.2: Sampling descriptions................................................................................................................. 18
3.3: Characteristics of sample women and their living environments .................................................. 18
3.3.1: Demographic and basic social characteristics...................................................................... 19
3.3.2: Women economic activities .................................................................................................. 20
3.3.5: Family and household characteristics .................................................................................. 20
3.3.6: Women’s ownership status and gaps .................................................................................... 21
3.3.7: Women wealth status............................................................................................................ 21
3.3.8: Division of duties ................................................................................................................. 22
3.4: Characteristics of violence against women as used in Bosnia .................................................. 22
3.4.1: Women’s previous violence experience................................................................................. 23
3.4.2: Effects of violence ................................................................................................................ 23
3.4.3: Women combined experiences .............................................................................................. 24
3.4.4: Characteristics of psychological effects of sexual violence against women ........................... 24
Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations ....................................................................................... 26
5.1: Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 26
5.2: Recommendations....................................................................................................................... 26
References ......................................................................................................................................... 27