The project “Building Lasting Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina: Investing in the Future” introduces an innovative, child- and youth-centered approach to teaching the history of the 1992–1995 war. Instead of ethnically divided and exclusionary narratives, the project is based on factually grounded, multiperspective, and trauma-informed education, enabling students to engage with the past responsibly and empathetically.
The project aims to empower teachers, professors, and students with the knowledge, tools, and methodologies necessary for a critical understanding of the war’s history and its long-term consequences. It is implemented by the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIRN BiH), in partnership with the Association Forgotten Children of War and the Srebrenica Memorial Centre.
A key pillar of the project is teacher training on teaching sensitive topics related to armed conflict, including war crimes, genocide, and wartime sexual violence. Special attention is given to children born as a result of wartime sexual violence, in close collaboration with the Association Forgotten Children of War.
In this way, subjects that have been excluded or marginalized in curricula for decades are addressed ethically, safely, and with full respect for the dignity of survivors, while remaining conscious of the risks of retraumatization and sensationalism.
Teacher Manual: “Wartime Sexual Violence and Children Born of War”
As a unique and lasting component of the project, the Association Forgotten Children of War developed and produced a teacher manual entitled “Wartime Sexual Violence and Children Born of War”.
The manual provides teachers with a clear framework for responsibly and sensitively teaching about wartime sexual violence and its long-term consequences in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a special focus on children born as a result of war. The content is based on judicially established facts, relevant international and domestic legal practice, and survivors’ experiences, ensuring both factual accuracy and an ethical approach to this highly sensitive topic.
The theoretical section of the manual explains the legal, social, and historical context of wartime sexual violence, including its systemic nature, intergenerational consequences, and contemporary legal standards for protecting the rights of survivors and children born of war. Particular attention is given to the role of institutions, courts, and legislation, as well as the limitations that arise when legal recognition is not accompanied by consistent implementation and societal acceptance.
The practical section, through case studies and discussion questions, enables teachers to introduce these topics to students in a way that encourages critical thinking, empathy, and understanding, without retraumatization or sensationalism. Classroom guidelines emphasize the importance of trauma-informed, gender-sensitive, and neutral language, as well as age-appropriate content adaptation.
Overall, the manual is intended as a tool for teachers to connect historical facts with contemporary social consequences, contribute to reducing stigma, recognize injustice, and strengthen a culture of human rights.
Authors of the Manual:
- Ajna Mahmić Ćatić
- Ajna Jusić
- Eldin Buljubašić
Beyond the Classroom: Integrating Peacebuilding Through Arts and Experiential Learning
History education within the project is not limited to the classroom. The project integrates peacebuilding through arts and experiential learning, using participatory and artistic methods to foster empathy and dialogue among students. Activities include:
- Theatrical performance “In the Name of the Father”, addressing issues of identity, silence, and intergenerational trauma.
- Exhibition “Breaking Free”, presenting stories of survival, stigma, and resilience.
- Living Library sessions, where survivors, witnesses, and activists share their experiences directly with students, fostering dialogue instead of passive textbook learning.
Through remembrance lessons, study visits, artistic performances, exhibitions, and Living Library sessions, students are encouraged to engage both emotionally and intellectually with the past, recognize the human cost of conflict, and understand the long-term consequences of denial and silence—particularly for children affected by war.
By combining rigorous historical facts with arts-based peacebuilding and survivor-centered learning, the project contributes to creating a safe space for dialogue and to building a more inclusive, informed, and peaceful future in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
