On September 8, 2025, the book “I Am Alen” was presented in Sarajevo at the Bosniak Cultural Center (BKC). The book is an autobiographical work by Alen Muhić, who was born as a result of wartime rape during the aggression against Bosnia and Herzegovina. It offers a deeply moving yet profoundly important testimony of a life lived under the shadow of stigma, silence, and social injustice, and gives voice to thousands of individuals who remained invisible for decades.
The promotion was attended by a large number of citizens, representatives of institutions, the academic community, and civil society organizations. The book was discussed by Armin Omerović, Prof. Dr. Ermin Kuka, Esma Palić, and Ajna Jusić, who emphasized the importance of this work as part of the collective memory and contemporary heritage of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In her address, Ajna Jusić, activist and President of the Association Forgotten Children of War, stressed that the book goes beyond the author’s personal story:
“This is not only Alen’s story; it is the story of all of us who seek truth and justice. Children born as a result of wartime rape did not choose the circumstances of their birth, but they choose to live with dignity and courage. Love is a decision made every day. We cannot change the way we were born, but through self-awareness and struggle we build the values we pass on to ourselves, our families, and society.”
Professor Ermin Kuka emphasized that Alen Muhić writes bravely and without fear about his origins, clearly naming the crime from which he was born, and underscored that the war did not end at the moment peace agreements were signed.
“Children conceived through wartime rape are proof that the consequences of aggression did not end with the formal conclusion of the war. They continue today through stigma, discrimination, and systemic injustice.”
Support for the promotion and publication of the book was provided by the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy. Minister Adnan Delić emphasized that women raped during the war and children born as a result of these crimes represent a specific category of civilian victims of war, and that society bears responsibility for recognizing and acknowledging their stories.
“It is our duty to listen to them and to support them. The time for silence must end, and this book is an important step toward justice and recognition.”
Although children born of war are no longer children but adults with families of their own, as highlighted during the event, their struggle for truth and justice remains deeply meaningful, in order to pass memory on to future generations and to ensure that such crimes are never repeated against anyone.
Additional support for the publication was provided by the Ministry of Education of the Bosnian-Podrinje Canton and the Association Forgotten Children of War, whose members have for years pointed to the need for systemic protection and support for this marginalized group.
Alen Muhić, recipient of an international human rights award in Norway, emphasized that truth, no matter how painful, is liberating:
“Silence hurts. But we are no longer silent. We want to tell our story, in our own way, and send a message that this must never happen again, to anyone.”
The book “I Am Alen” has already been recognized as an exceptionally important contribution to the contemporary history of Bosnia and Herzegovina and to processes of dealing with the past, standing as a document of truth, courage, and human dignity.
