Few events have had as significant an impact on modern European history as the Balkan wars of the 1990s. The wars in the former Yugoslavia brought unspeakable suffering and left a profound impression on the entire world.
Inger Skjelsbæk first came to Bosnia in 1997 as an international observer during one of the country’s first elections. Since then, she has closely followed the country’s development, particularly through her work with women’s war experiences.
Skjelsbæk's book addresses how it is to live on after a conflict which was marred by severe war crimes and genocide, which also included crimes of sexual violence. In the book Inger describes her research on conflict-related sexual violence by focusing on people, texts and meetings she has had in Bosnia since she started her work at PRIO in 1995, the year the Bosnian war came to an end with the Dayton Peace Agreement.
PRIO organized a book launch on 8 October. The introduction by Inger Skjelsbæk was followed by a panel discussion with:
- Kai Eide, former diplomat and politician
- Torunn L. Tryggestad, Director, PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security
- Marte Heian-Engdal, historian and author
The panel, moderated by PRIO Senior Researcher Kristian Berg Harpviken, discussed major question including what happened in Bosnia during the war, and what can female witnesses tell us about the reality of the conflict. How has the legacy of the Balkan wars impacted us since then. And how do the conflicts of the war still persist in Bosnia today. The book launch was a great success with an engaged audience congratulating Inger on her new book. The event was held in Norwegian.
