Reparations for conflict-related sexual violence: Lessons from the Western Balkans

This report is the outcome of a two-day conference on reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) held on 8 and 9 June 2016 outside Sarajevo, in Jahorina, Bosnia and Herzegovina. The meeting, organized by UN Women, the Office of the High Commission on Human Rights (OHCHR), and the office of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in Bosnia and Herzegovina, served as the fifth and final launch of the “Guidance note of the Secretary-General: Reparations for conflict-related sexual violence”, and considered the application of the guidance note’s recommendations in the Western Balkans and the broader region.

Civil society representatives, government authorities, experts from international organizations, and individual advocates and survivors discussed the successes of reparations programmes, challenges and setbacks, good practices, and lessons learned.

This publication provides a comparative analysis of the legislative and administrative frameworks governing reparations initiatives in post-conflict countries in the Western Balkans.