The experiences of women affected by conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) in Bosnia and Herzegovina reflect a long and often incomplete struggle for recognition, justice, and healing. Despite important progress over the past decades, many survivors continue to face limited acknowledgment and insufficient reparations, shaped by political, institutional, and societal barriers.
In this event, Professor Olivera Simić explores both the achievements and the remaining gaps in addressing CRSV in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Drawing on her research and engagement with post-war justice processes, she examines how survivors’ experiences have been recognised—and where critical challenges persist. The talk also reflects on broader questions of accountability, dealing with the past, and supporting survivors in post-conflict settings.
Programme
09:00 – 09:05 Opening remarks – Torunn Tryggestad, Director, PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security
09:05 – 09:30 Presentation – Olivera Simić, Professor, Griffith Law School
09:30 – 09:45 Conversation – Inger Skjelsbæk, Research Professor, PRIO Centre on Gender, Peace and Security, and Olivera Simić
09:45 – 10:00 Q&A
Biography
Olivera Simić is a Professor with the Griffith Law School, a feminist and a human rights activist. Dr Simić was born in the former Yugoslavia and lived through the Yugoslav Wars (1991-1999). She was nineteen years old, studying the first year of a law degree in Bosnia and Herzegovina, when the Bosnian War broke out in 1992. Initially as a refugee and later as a migrant, Dr Simić lived and studied in Europe, the USA and South America, before coming to Australia in 2006. In 2014, Dr Simić published a memoir, Surviving Peace: A Political Memoir (Spinifex), based on her experiences of war in Bosnia.
She has published five monographs and eight co-edited collections, as well as numerous book chapters, journal articles, and personal narratives. The stories of people who struggle with post-war trauma and seek some form of justice for crimes they survived, particularly women, are at the heart of Dr Simić’s work. Her book, Lola's War: Rape Without Punishment, was published by Palgrave Macmillan in 2023. Her book Madam War Criminal: Biljana Plavsic, Serbia's Iron Lady was published by Hurst in October 2025.
Dr Simić was a nominee for the Penny Pether Prize for Scholarship in Law, Literature and the Humanities, and won the Peace Women Award from Women’s International League
