Promotion of the book Crimes of sexual abuse in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995. in the light of the theory and practice of international law authored by dr. Sabine Subašić Galijatović was honored on Thursday, December 9, 2021, in the Ceremonial Hall of the University of Sarajevo.
With congratulations to the author and the Institute for Research of Crimes against Humanity and International Law of the University of Sarajevo, prof. Ph.D. Dženana Husremović, Vice-Rector of the University, emphasized that this is a publication that is one of a series of important works that bear witness to the period that is behind us and that we hope will never be repeated to anyone.
"Crimes of sexual abuse, primarily rape, are the most brutal form of crime that affects the lives of survivors. Unfortunately, the systemic support of institutions and society for survivors in our country is very modest, and the public generally knows little about suffering and trauma, which further puts survivors in a position of isolation and stigmatization. Therefore, the prosecution and sentencing of criminals who committed such atrocities are of particular importance both for the victims and for the entire society, and research and writing books is a pledge for future generations who need to know how the law treated crimes of sexual abuse in cruel times," she pointed out. is vice-rector Husremović.
In the opening presentation of prof. Ph.D. Rasim Muratović, director of the Institute for Research of Crimes Against Humanity and International Law of the University of Sarajevo, emphasized that this book is the 151st edition of the institute.
"This work by dr. Sabine Subašić Galijatović is extremely significant for the reason that for the first time in a comprehensive way he talks about the crimes of sexual abuse in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the period 1992-1995. when between 20,000 and 50,000 women were raped. These are the data of the United Nations organization. Only in the first months of '92. in 1995, about 20 thousand were raped, and at the end of '95. that number rose to 50,000. About a thousand children were born from such a heinous act. We also have a heinous crime, the rape of men. Over 3 thousand men were raped. The book has its own documentary basis, it is supported by a document and an argument, and it will be useful for us to gain new insights and spread knowledge, to learn a lesson so that this never happens to anyone again", emphasized prof. Ph.D. Muratović.
Promoter of the book prof. Ph.D. Hajrija Sijerčić-Čolić, a full professor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Sarajevo, stated that the subject of this paper's research is the prosecution of the crime of sexual abuse before the International Criminal Court for the former Yugoslavia and the International Court of Justice, in order to gain the most complete insight into sexual abuse committed in Bosnia. and Herzegovina in the observed time, and their prosecution before international courts. She also reminded that the promotion of this book is one of the events with which the University of Sarajevo celebrates Science Day.
"Today's promotion should mark another date in the history of mankind, which is December 9, 1949, when the General Assembly resolution adopted and opened for signing and ratification the CONVENTION ON THE PREVENTION AND PUNISHMENT OF THE CRIMES OF GENOCIDE. Although already at the beginning of the 50s of the last century, the Convention was accepted by enough countries that it could enter into legal force, the past time confirms that the prosecution of crimes against humanity and international law, especially the crime of sexual abuse, is not always the focus of interest to the required extent. If we have in mind the prominent, on the one hand, and the expansion and development of international law and international criminal law, on the other hand, then the book we are talking about is of particular value because it brings an abundance of important theoretical positions, discussions, opinions, data and information related to to sexual abuse in armed conflicts", pointed out Professor Sijerčić-Čolić.
The promoter of the book, Mr. Munib Halilović, the chief prosecutor of the Prosecutor's Office of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, pointed out that this book will be of great importance above all for practitioners, and that he believes that it will contribute a lot to those who want to research this area of application of international humanitarian law. He also emphasized that the book is significant primarily because it dealt with the existence of a practically normative situation in the period of the creation of international tribunals, in fact almost a lack of normative rules related to the area of sexual abuse. "The next importance I would attach to her is that she processed the previous practice of processing the aforementioned crimes through the existing tribunals until the 90s and then analyzed in detail all war crimes cases that were processed in the tribunal. In that sense, it really provides a good material both for practitioners and for those who want to acquire basic knowledge and, of course, to deepen that knowledge," said Mr. Halilović.
The author of the book dr. Sabina Subašić Galijatović stated that in scientific circles dealing with the study of international law, so far only partial research has been done on the prosecution of sexual abuse committed in Bosnia and Herzegovina from 1992-1995. years. This subject has been dealt with partially in the framework of individual responsibility and legal practice ad hoc of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY), but never in the field of state responsibility.
"Book entitled Crimes of sexual abuse in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995. in the light of the theory and practice of international law is the result of research carried out as part of a doctoral dissertation submitted and defended at the Faculty of Law of the University of Sarajevo, therefore in this sense it represents the first comprehensive project on the treatment of the crime of sexual abuse in international theory and practice", stated the author Dr. Sabina Subašić Galijatović.
The book Crimes of sexual abuse in Bosnia and Herzegovina 1992-1995. in the light of the theory and practice of international law is presented on 490 pages, consists of an introduction and four parts, with two appendices and a bibliography. The work used 53 international documents (charters, conventions, protocols, resolutions, reports), 61 bibliographic units (literature, scientific and expert articles), 242 sources related to the legal practice of international courts (indictments, verdicts, decisions), 4 tables and graphs, and 916 footnotes and notes.
