Bugojno, 23 April 2012
Twenty-four fourth-grade students from Bugojno high school in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) were so enthusiastic about a presentation and debate led by Outreach representative Almir Alić that they demanded an encore.
Bugojno is situated in central BiH and the presentation focused on crimes which were committed in the local area and have been the subject of adjudication in ICTY trials.
Due to the reaction of the students, the presentation was extended to include information and discussion on war crimes committed in other areas of BiH, as well as witness protection measures, sentencing practices, and the prosecution of sexual violence.
One student who found the presentation fascinating said: “I’ve learned how international justice functions, and that justice, although sometimes slow, can be obtained in the end. I plan to spend more time studying this subject through the given ICTY contacts and by discussing this issue with my friends outside school.”
Discussing issues of reconciliation, one girl said she believed that “reconciliation can be achieved by bringing young people together, because the world belongs to the young.”
The students expressed an interest in having similar presentations and discussions organised in the future.
The school principal, Suada Trupo, also expressed her support for Outreach’s school presentations project, saying that such events should be organised in schools throughout BiH as a part of the Human Rights and Democracy curricula.