"Women, War & Peace: I Came to Testify" (2011) is a 60-minute documentary on sensitive gender-related issues, is the moving story of how a group of 16 women who had been imprisoned and raped by Serb-led forces in the Bosnian town of Foca broke history's great silence, and stepped forward to take the witness stand in an international court of law. Their remarkable courage resulted in a triumphant verdict that led to new international laws about sexual violence in war.
Until this time, no international court case had been lodged based strictly on rape during war. The women were recognized by the interational court of law as having a rightful complaint to be made and made a decision to imprison three of the main leaders of the Serbian-run brothels. While many many men were not tried and still roam the streets of Foca, the city where Serbs, Muslims and many others coexisted as tolerant neighbors living in interaction and peace, the dozen or so women who participated in the trial were glad to see some action taken to support their loss of womanhood, tranquility of spirit, and fear trapped within. Just seeing three men tried and convicted provided some catharsis and will also provide an avenue for future gender-related crimes to be tried in international courts in the future ... for as long as their is war, there will be crimes against women.
It is women who shout for 'no more war' as they are the one's who suffer the most. Yet, it tends to be men who decide to make war, organize women to keep them from wandering and raping in communities (much like government organized brothels, 'comfort women' stations, camptowns), but it the women where the battles are fought - physically during the war and psychologically after the war.
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The Korean Council for Women Drafted for Military Sexual Slavery by Japan is an activist organization at the forefront of the struggle to achieve justice and recognition for women drafted into sexual slavery by the Japanese military during WWII. For more information about the Korean Council and to stay up-to-date with their campaigns, visit -- www.womenandwar.net
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