CODE OF COURAGE.
The Survivor Chronicles
ABOUT THIS EXHIBITION
CODE OF COURAGE: THE SURVIVOR CHRONICLES is a visual storytelling project that explores the day-to-day lives of survivors of conflict-related sexual violence during the Bosnian war from 1992-1995 and highlights their heroic fight against impunity for perpetrators and their efforts to overcome the silence surrounding conflict-related sexual violence.
Produced by Post-Conflict Research Center (PCRC) in partnership with United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), this project is part of the UNFPA-led initiative to overcome the stigma in Bosnia and Herzegovina surrounding conflict-related sexual violence as well as to strengthen the capacity of relevant institutions to provide support to survivors.
MY ROLE
Curator
PHOTOGRAPHERS
Velija Hasanbegovic
PARTNERS
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)
DONORS
UNFPA
PHOTO GALLERY.
Is our life a game and are we all just dolls?
Eyes can reveal our deepest thoughts, our greatest pain, and our true strength.
A woman represents the circle of life. Within her lies the power to create, nurture, and transform.
Life folds or expands in proportion to one’s courage.
Fear is only as deep as the mind allows.
A woman is like a bag of tea; you never know how strong it is until it’s in hot water.
As long we hold on to the imagination of our childhood, we are forever young.
You must save yourself or remain unsaved.
To be brave is know your fears and then to face them.
Reflect on your strengths. Always value your worth.
From every problem emerges a new goal.
Under every ruin lies a new foundation.
With every ending comes a new beginning.
Code of Courage Chapter I : Hasija’s Story
Hasija allowed photographer Velija Hasanbegovic to document a day in her life as a survivor of conflict-related sexual violence and to accompany her on her courageous journey back to the rape camp that was once her high school. Today, she remains active in her fight for justice and victims’ rights and hopes her story can serve as a source of hope and inspiration.
sense of purpose and helped me to find my place in the world again.
The love I have for my brothers and sisters served as my greatest motivation to live and to fight for a better future, and I am proud to say that, today, my sisters and brother are successful, young people.
Now, I have chosen to return to the place where the crimes against me were committed and to tell my story so that I can help other victims. I want to use my life’s journey to empower others to find their voice and their inner strength and to fight against the stigma and silence we must face in our society. And, I hope that one day we will be seen not just as victims, but as survivors. This life we have been given can be hard, but it is always worth fighting for.”
- Hasija Brankovic -
“10 soldiers came into my home. The same soldiers who had burned down my grandparents’ house while they were inside with my 3-year-old sister. They ordered me to come with them and led me to my high school. I was seventeen and had never been intimate with a man until that night. They took me into the basement and threw me to the floor. I was no longer able to see their faces. I prayed and begged for them to stop, but my pleas fell on deaf ears. I lost consciousness. I woke up in a classroom and felt nothing but emptiness inside. My school had now become my prison. I was held for a month and a half. They continued to take advantage of me night after night and I thought I would never again be free. When I was finally released and reunited with my family, I was told that my father and brother had been killed.
Without a father, I had to become the head of our family. Even though I suffered horrible things, becoming a leader for my family gave me a