March 20, 2007
Children of war


"I'm doing this for justice."




Watch the program: Part 1 | Part 2

In the 1990s, Yugoslavia dissolved into a series of bitter conflicts that claimed 200,000 lives. War crimes were committed on all sides resulting in terrible atrocities -- but one crime stands out as being particularly shocking -- the systematic rape of thousands of Bosnian Muslim women by Serbs.

Tens of thousands of women were raped during the war; estimates of the number of babies born as a result of rape are hard to come by, but range from a few hundred to more than 5,000. No one really knows. The Serbian rape policy has left a confronting legacy in socially conservative Bosnia; it is little talked about in this predominantly Muslim society.

In the country today, the children born of rape are growing into teenagers and some are beginning to ask difficult questions about their origins. In many cases the women tell their children that their fathers were killed in the war rather than expose them to the truth. Now it's feared that the children born to those women will be ostracized from society, rekindling ethnic tension that fueled the war to begin with.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
World’s Untold Stories showcases courageous correspondents telling intimate stories of society's most vulnerable people. Often gritty, always powerful tales that open our eyes to a world that is at times disturbing and captivating. Storytelling that is raw and unyielding in its impact. World’s Untold Stories will bring the viewer tales from all corners of the world, and shine light on activities almost never exposed.

Schedule and description
SHOWTIMES

Tuesday 830am 130pm

Thursday 830am 130pm

Saturday 830am 1230pm 1030pm

Sunday 130am 630pm
SUBSCRIBE
    What's this?
CNN Comment Policy: CNN encourages you to add a comment to this discussion. You may not post any unlawful, threatening, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic or other material that would violate the law. Please note that CNN makes reasonable efforts to review all comments prior to posting and CNN may edit comments for clarity or to keep out questionable or off-topic material. All comments should be relevant to the post and remain respectful of other authors and commenters. By submitting your comment, you hereby give CNN the right, but not the obligation, to post, air, edit, exhibit, telecast, cablecast, webcast, re-use, publish, reproduce, use, license, print, distribute or otherwise use your comment(s) and accompanying personal identifying information via all forms of media now known or hereafter devised, worldwide, in perpetuity. CNN Privacy Statement.