Breaking Free: The forgotten children of war

The light shines on the young adults and their mothers staring back at you from their portraits. Breaking Free [1] is a photo exhibition about a courageous group of people who were born as “children of war” and are now ready to step out of the shadow of invisibility. The exhibition calls attention to this group of children to ensure that they are not lost in the margins of society. Here, they want to be seen, to portray themselves as the children of their mothers instead of the children of enemies. The exhibition is but one of the many activities by the Vereniging Vergeten kinderen van de Oorlog in Bosnia-Hercegovina (Association of Forgotten Children of the War in Bosnia-Herzegovina).

The association was founded in 2015 by a group of young adults led by psychologist Ajla Jusic. One of the association's goals is social and legal recognition for children born of rape to give them a dignified place in society.[2] For many years, members of the association have been making their voices heard in public discourse in order to start a dialogue on a topic that has historically been suppressed in society. The activism and advocacy of these young adults is a powerful movement against prevailing taboos, discrimination and stigma. They are fighting for adjustments to procedures that limit their right to things like education. Since June 2022, they have been locally recognised and protected as civilian victims of war, pending nationwide implementation. [3]

The Vereniging Vergeten Kinderen van de Oorlog has opened the doors of society to both dialogue and transformation. Ayla Jusic, the association's president, believes that changes are possible in the long run. “We have a duty to leave this world a better place,” he emphasises. [4] We must never forget that it is our duty to support transformations in society so that children born of rape are given equal opportunities. 

Author: Julia Bala

1. Exibition “Breaking Free”, Belgrade. https://zdr.ba/en/2022/10/10/exhibition-breaking-free-belgrade/
2. Udruzenje zaboravljenja djeca rata/Forgotten Children of War Association; https://zdr.ba
3. S. Sehic . Sta je pravda za djecu rodjena zbog rata u BiH, 21. 11,2022. Vijesti. What is justice for children born from war. https://n1info.ba/vijesti/sta-je-pravda-za-djecu-rodjenu-zbog-rata-u-bih/
4. M. Hadzic. Zaboravljena djeca rata ne smeju biti zaboravljena. (The forgotten children of war must not be forgotten) BH Novinari, 29.11.2022. https://bhnovinari.ba/bs/2022/11/29/zaboravljena-djeca-rata-ne-smiju-biti-medijski-zaboravljena/

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