Round table "Sexual violence in war"
The
United Nations in Croatia and the City of Vukovar, supported by the
Croatian president, organize a roundtable discussion on Sexual Violence
in War, which will be held on Tuesday, April, 03 2012 in Vukovar.
This event aim to recognize and understand the needs of suffering women who were raped during the war 1991 to 1995,
and open discussion on how to Croatia and other countries can prosecute
perpetrators of sexual violence committed during the war and to provide
adequate support to victims.
Special emphasis will be placed on the personal testimonies of Croatian women survivors of sexual violence in war. Representatives
of associations of victims and the Croatian state institutions will
discuss whether the needs of victims for justice and support are met.
Confirmed
participants include Minister of Veterans Predrag Matić Fred, Deputy
Minister of Justice Sandra Artuković Kunst, Deputy Minister of Health
Luka Vončina, County Prosecutor in Osijek Davor Petričević, president of
victims' organization Women in the War Marija Slišković, who collected and published
testimonies of rape victims, director of Documenta Vesna Teršelič
and Marijana Senjak, a psychologist who has worked extensively
with victims who have survived sexual violence in Bosnia and
Herzegovina.
As
a special guest at the event is Eve Ensler, American playwright and Tony Award
winner and author of The Vagina Monologues, the play which promotes
awareness about violence against women. A
prominent activist in the struggle for gender equality, Ms. Ensler has
worked extensively with victims of rape in the Democratic Republic of
Congo.
Discussion will be moderated Zrinka Vrabec Mojzeš, former journalist and now the advisor of the Croatian President for Social Affairs. Coordinator
of the United Nations and Permanent Representative of the United
Nations Development Louisa Vinton will open the event.
The
formal beginning of the discussion is scheduled at 17:00h, and
participants are invited to join in the 16:00h for screening of the
documentary film Sexual violence and the triumph of Justice
produced by International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY), which
represents progress in the efforts of the prosecution of sexual violence
in war times as war crimes and crimes against humanity.
