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The Bosnian War began in 1992 and lasted for three years. It is estimated that in that time at least 100,000 people were killed- half of them civilians. A lot of ethnic cleansing episodes went on during this war in which the Serbs were determined to eliminate Bosnia Muslims.
The people in this picture had fled what was left of their homes and belongings hoping to find safety. Young men are absent from this picture because they had either been sent to war or already been killed. The women were an easy target for the Serbs to show that they had control. They set up camps for the women and then would proceed to repeatedly and publically rape them.
Thirteen years later, conditions have politically stabilized. However, a war does not end without scarring. The repercussions of war as described by Wikipedia
"Common profound complications among surviving women and girls include gynaecological, physical and psychological (post traumatic) disorders, as well as unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases. The survivors often feel uncomfortable/frustrated/sickened with men, sex and relationships; ultimately affecting the growth/development of a population and/or society as such (thus constituting a slow genocide according to some). In accordance with the Muslim society, most of the girls not married were virgins at the time of rape; further traumatizing the situation." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bosnian_War 2009
Salgado, Sebastiao. Photograph. Migrations: Humanity in Transition. Aperture. New York, 2000. 129.
Kelly, great job on the post. Wow! I can't believe the destruction during the Bosnian War. 100,000 people killed and half were civillians are just mind blowing numbers to me. I think it is very ironic, that it is usually the innocent ones that get hurt in war. It is so disturbing to hear of the camps that were set up for the women. How can people be that sick and actually do that to another human being. I really enjoyed the picture even though the story behind it was very disturbing. Great job on the post.
ReplyDeleteIt's awful to think that there are so many cases of things like this without us knowing about it. To be honest, I never even knew about the Bosnian War until I read this blog. It's even more awful to think that there's so much hate in this world that other people would be willing to do some of the things you described in your post. Even if the war is over, it's obvious that these are things that people will probably never recover from.
ReplyDeleteGood post.
Great posts Kelly! very informative. It's so crazy, there are all these different wars and things that happen and I feel like a lot of people don't even know about them or care to. FREE TIBET!
ReplyDeleteMy dad went to Bosnia a few times. That is why we were stationed in Germany. I'm glad to hear the country is repairing. I hope it doesn't take 13 years for me to have a more stablized life.
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