Bosnian War Research Paper

To what extent is rape a weapon of war in the Bosnian War? The Bosnian War began in 1992 and ended in 1995, throughout those years more than 20,000 rapes occurred. The war was fought between the Serbs and the Croats that were residing in Bosnia. Both sides wanted to annex an area of Bosnia either for Serbia or Croatia. Systematic rape was one of the most common weapons primarily used by the Serbs. It was disturbingly successful in purposeful impregnations, instilling widespread fear, and stealing every bit of power the Croatian women had left. The women were primarily Bosniaks, which means they are both Bosnian and Muslim. These women were held in camps, so they could be violently raped day and night. Additionally, public rapes in front of fellow villagers were common, this was to instill the superiority of the Serbs. The Amnesty international states that “rape is not a random by product but a pre-planned military strategy to completely destroy the opposing side”. The Serbs planned the numerous rapes for an Ethnic Cleansing. In this essay I will prove that rape is a strategic, military weapon violently used in the Bosnian War. First, I will explain the causes of the Bosnian War and
As time progressed, in 1995, a minor town named, “Srebrenica was declared a U.N. safe zone but became the site of mass murder and rape, largely under the direction of Ratko Mladić, colonel general of the Bosnian Serb Army, and politician Radovan Karadžić.” (Hirsch). But due to the Dutch Blue Helmets being put in charge of protecting the safe zone at the time, the horrors in Srebrenica is often blamed on the Dutch U.N. army. According to the BBC after a 2002 investigation the Dutch officials were held accountable for giving their troops such a challenging area to guard without enough resources and arms, then the entire Dutch government resigned from the mission.