Novi Pazar, 6 March 2012
Outreach officer Morgiana Brading today participated in a debate with around 20 high school students and various members of the local community in the Serbian town of Novi Pazar.
Morgiana’s presentation covered the Tribunal's main achievements and also included information about the soon-to-open Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals. Other speakers at the event - including Jelena Stevančević, (from the OSCE), Aida Ćorović (of the NGO UrbanIn) and Nevena Nikolić (Belgrade Human Rights Centre) - encouraged the audience to think about their own experiences in relation to the work of the Tribunal.
Topics discussed during the debate included the role of the media during and after the Balkan wars and also the prevalence of crimes of sexual violence during the conflicts. The students were introduced to Security Council resolution 1325, which marked the first time the Security Council had addressed the disproportionate and unique impact of armed conflict on women, and recognised the under-valued and under-utilised contributions women make to conflict prevention, peacekeeping, conflict resolution and peace-building around the world.
A number of the students said they would have liked to discuss the wars with their parents, but that the older generation was reluctant to discuss such topics with them, wishing to shield them from a difficult and painful history. However, the students concluded that dialogue is vital in Serbia if the events of the past are not to be repeated.