“GENDERCIDE” AND RAPE AS STRATEGIC TOOLS IN GENOCIDE IN BOSNIA
“GENDERCIDE” AND RAPE AS STRATEGIC TOOLS IN GENOCIDE IN BOSNIA

Summary/Abstract: The War in Bosnia, which took place between 1992 and 1995, emerged from a political and economic crises in Yugoslavia. The conflict was significantly shaped by the aggressive rise of Croatian and Serbian nationalisms, which led to the systematic exclusion and targeting of the Muslim Bosniak identity. These tensions culminated in the Genocide in Srebrenica, the most brutal event of the war, which was committed from 11 July 1995 onward. During this period, the Army of Republika Srpska (VRS) carried out a meticulously planned operation that resulted in the collective massacre of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys. Concurrently, women, children, and the elderly were forcibly expelled from the enclave in a targeted campaign of “ethnic cleansing”. These actions demonstrate that genocide is not merely a process of physical annihilation but also a deliberate strategy to dismantle the fabric of a targeted community. This study delves into the gender-based motivations behind the violence employed during the war by examining the relations between gendercide, femicide, rape and genocide. Rape is used in the context of genocide as a strategy to target destruction of women’s biological role in reproduction of the particular group and their central role within a family. The central hypothesis of this research is that sexual violence, particularly the widespread use of rape during the Bosnian War and the Genocide in Srebrenica, was not a by-product of conflict but a strategic and conscious tool of genocide. These acts were purposefully employed to annihilate ethnic identities, to induce the psychological collapse of the opposing society, and to achieve permanent demographic restructuring. The research presents detailed analyses covering the historical background of the Bosnian War, the mass atrocities committed in Srebrenica, and specific cases of systematic sexual violence against women. To substantiate the organized and systematic nature of these crimes, the study relies on primary sources, including the landmark decisions of the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) and the compelling testimonies of survivors and witnesses. The testimony of individuals like Enver Husić, who provided an account of the surrender of men from column from Srebrenica, is critical to understanding the methodical nature of the mass killings. Furthermore, the harrowing experiences of women such as Aisha and Zilhada, who endured systematic rapes, and Nisveta, who suffered three months of brutal torture, serve as powerful evidence. These personal narratives vividly illustrate the profound trauma and lasting devastation inflicted by this violence at both individual and societal levels. The evidence presented underscores how these gender-based atrocities were a calculated component of the broader genocidal campaign. The significance of this study lies in its contribution to illuminating the oftenoverlooked gender dimension of war crimes and genocide in Bosnia. It draws critical attention to the inadequacies of international law in comprehensively addressing gender-based violence as a core component of genocidal intent. The article aims to advance the pursuit of justice by asserting that rapes were not acts of war plunder or spontaneous violence, but rather a deliberate and strategic instrument of “ethnic cleansing”. The findings presented indicate that sexual violence served to reinforce multiple layers of genocide, including physical destruction, cultural devastation, and demographic change. In this context, this study advocates for a more accurate and holistic understanding of the events in Bosnia within academic literature and policy processes, arguing that the role of gender-based violence in genocidal processes is an indispensable element that must not be ignored.

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