Home Institution

Brown University

Publication Date

Spring 2008

Program Name

Balkans: Gender, Transformation and Civil Society

Abstract

My research sought to examine the transition from war to post-war services provided in a women’s non-governmental organization, Medica Zenica, located in central Bosnia-Hercegovina. Opened in 1993, in the midst of the war in Bosnia, Medica Zenica began providing support for war-rape survivors. Today, Medica Zenica is still running, but the majority of clients are now survivors of domestic violence.

By interviewing women currently and previously employed in Medica Zenica, I pieced together a picture of how Medica has evolved in the last fifteen years, as well as how these evolutions are seen as a reflection of changing society in Bosnia. Women in Medica tended to suggest societal connections between war-trauma and post-war violence, on the level of economic, political, and individual psychological processes. A few women also suggested ways in which the psychological processes of women who work in Medica have influenced Medica’s evolution over the years.

Engaging with literature previously written about Medica Zenica, as well as larger debates about the nature of war-rape and its impact on society, I have formed a picture of the gradual transition of Medica Zenica since the end of the war in Bosnia, and addressed the ways in which that process has been an asset and a difficulty for Medica Zenica, particularly with regard to fundraising efforts.

Disciplines

Mental and Social Health | Social Welfare

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