'Foča remembers: Silence must never be stronger than truth': Tribute paid to women who were victims of sexual violence during the aggression

(Patria) - On the occasion of the International Day against Sexual Violence in Aggression, a central manifestation titled "Foča remembers: Silence must never be stronger than truth" was held today in Foča.

The event gathered survivors, representatives of institutions, the diplomatic corps, and organizations that have for years preserved the memory of crimes committed against women and girls during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Those present were addressed by the president of the Association of War Victims Foča 92–95, Midheta Kaloper, who stated that the women who survived are the greatest strength of this society because, despite unimaginable crimes and years of silence, they preserved dignity, truth, and memory for generations to come.

- Our strength was never in revenge, but in the fact that we remained upright and did not allow the truth to be defeated - Kaloper said.

The Ambassador of the United Kingdom to BiH, Julian Reilly, emphasized his country's continued support for survivors of wartime sexual violence.

He stressed that the fight for truth, justice, and dignity must not end only with verdicts but must live on through support for survivors and the preservation of a culture of remembrance.

On behalf of the association "Forgotten Children of War," Alen Muhić reminded that responsibility towards survivors cannot be reduced to a single date in the year.

- Remembrance is not an obligation only on June 19. Responsibility towards victims and survivors must exist every day, in every institution, and in every social process - Muhić said.

The Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy, Adnan Delić, emphasized that Foča remains a place of truth and warning, but also a place that obliges society never to accept oblivion.

- For almost three decades, surviving women waited for institutions to recognize them as courts and history had long recognized them. Their pain was not less important, but it remained on the margins of institutional action for too long.

That is why today we must have the courage to admit that the problem was not that something could not be done, but that for too long the determination was not found to do what is right - Delić said.

He reminded that during this mandate, the Law on the Protection of Civilian Victims of War was adopted, which for the first time in the FBiH recognized children born as a result of wartime rape, assessing it as a moral obligation that had been waiting too long to be fulfilled.

Speaking about the future, Delić emphasized that he is particularly pleased by the fact that the monument to victims of wartime sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina is no longer just an idea or a promise.

- I wish that the women who stand among us today had been seen much earlier and that they did not have to wait almost three decades for institutions to truly hear them. But I am proud that together with the survivors, we lit a light in the institutions that no one will be able to extinguish. A light of truth, recognition, and dignity.

That is why I am glad that today we can talk about the monument to victims of wartime sexual violence as a project that is taking shape and that will permanently testify to the truth that no one will be able to hide anymore - Delić said.

After the addresses, participants paid tribute to all women who were victims of sexual violence during the aggression with a peaceful walk through Foča, a minute of silence, and the release of white roses into the Ćehotina River, with the message that silence must never be stronger than truth.