/ The War Goes on - at Home
Zenica is an industrial city in central Bosnia. Before the war, the economy of the region was strong with 25'000 people employed by the steel works. Today there are only 4'000 jobs left and more cut-backs are planned. Even before the war was over, Monika Hauser, the winner of the Alternative Nobel Prize 2008, founded Medica Zenica. At the time, there were thousands of rape victims in refugee camps of the region. 14 years after the war, Monika Hauser continues to provide medical and psychosocial care to traumatised victims of violence in a women's shelter. As she says, 'Violence and trauma do not end. The war goes on - at home.'
Just as in other war-torn areas, there is a rise in multiple forms of violence in Bosnia as well. Every year, the numbers of women and children who are victims of violence increase, along with the need for educational, psychosocial and economic support.
In a rural project working against violence, Medica Zenica combines psychosocial support with professional training courses. Women in rural areas rarely have the opportunity to speak of domestic and sexual violence and usually they can not afford further education. Beginning with professional training courses, women are encouraged to make use of the psychological and educational support that is available in order to work through their experiences and to improve their daily lives. The combination of psychosocial counselling with professional training courses is a well-tried method of coping with trauma. The project has begun in two communities and offers diploma courses in tailoring and upholstery.
