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July 11, 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the genocide of Srebrenica. More than 8,000 Bosniak men and boys were murdered by Bosnian Serb troops who had captured the city of Srebrenica. This genocide during the Bosnian war is considered the most serious war crime in Europe since the Second World War. Tens of thousands of women and girls experienced sexualised violence during the Bosnian war. More than 100,000 people lost their lives.

To this day – 25 years after the Dayton Peace Agreement – there are hardly any measures to come to terms with the past and no common policy of remembrance. Politicians tend to promote the division of the population instead of initiating a reconciliation process. Many war criminals are still worshipped as heroes.

Sabiha Husic of Medica Zenica commemorates the victims of the massacre on the occasion of the 25th anniversary and recounts how Medica Zenica supported surviving women and girls after the genocide. She highlights the importance of acknowledging suffering for trauma management, coming to terms with the past and reconciliation.

The video was broadcast at the event "Srebrenica: 25 years on – Remembrance. Justice. Reconciliation" by the Bündnis 90/Die Grünen Bundestagsfraktion.

In June 1999, the war in Kosovo ended. As in every conflict, sexualised violence against women and girls was widespread. The traumatic experiences of war and war rape run deep through Kosovarian society. What is the effect of the Corona pandemic on societies in transition, and in particular on survivors of violence?

The Kosovarian women’s rights organization Medica Gjakova warns that the state of emergency takes a heavy toll on the mental health of survivors. On the one hand, the situation can lead to feelings of insecurity, which are particularly harmful for women working through trauma. On the other hand, the retreat to “the private” is for many women not a safe option.

What do survivors of violence need during this time? What can their supporters do to accommodate their needs? And how can the supporters take care of themselves?

Leonita Gojani, who is a psychosocial counsellor at the Kosovarian women's rights organization Medica Gjakova, discusses war trauma, the risk of retraumatization and ways to support survivors with Jennifer Marchand, trauma advisor at medica mondiale.

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Video: Corona-Talk – How to fight for Women`s rights in a Crisis

Corona-Talk Compilation: How can women's rights work continue under difficult conditions, such as now in the Corona pandemic?

Compilation of a talk between Caroline Bowah, Director of medica Liberia and Sybille Fezer, Director of medica mondiale and former regional manager for Liberia about how the Ebola epidemic in 2014 affected their work and life. How did medica Liberia as a women’s rights organization transformed their work and therefor played a key role in curbing the epidemic back in the days?

The Covid-19 crisis sheds light on the vulnerability of women’s rights all over the world. Women are key in coping with crisis, most of the life-sustaining work is done by women. At the same time the situation for women gets worse in the moment a crisis occurs. Violence against women is increasing, for instance physical isolation leads to a rise in domestic violence. Important political projects are crossed from the agenda, attention for long-term feminist issues declines. Women’s rights organizations have to reorganize their work and sometimes completely turn upside down their work in order to respond to an epidemic.

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Video: Corona-Talk, full version – How to fight for Women`s rights in a Crisis

Corona-Talk, full version: How can women's rights work continue under difficult conditions, such as now in the Corona pandemic?

Caroline Bowah, Director of medica Liberia and Sybille Fezer, Director of medica mondiale and former regional manager for Liberia were working together in 2014 when Ebola hit Liberia. In a live-streamed conversation these two well experienced women’s rights defenders are remembering how the epidemic affected their work and life. Caroline shares first hand information about how an epidemic crisis lead to a worsening of women’s rights and gives insights on what preventive and urgent measures could be. How did medica Liberia as a women’s rights organization transformed their work and therefor played a key role in curbing the epidemic back in the days?

The Covid-19 crisis sheds light on the vulnerability of women’s rights all over the world. Women are key in coping with crisis, most of the life-sustaining work is done by women. At the same time the situation for women gets worse in the moment a crisis occurs. Violence against women is increasing, for instance physical isolation leads to a rise in domestic violence. Important political projects are crossed from the agenda, attention for long-term feminist issues declines. Women’s rights organizations have to reorganize their work and sometimes completely turn upside down their work in order to respond to an epidemic.