Association "Movement of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves" (The Association, from this point on), established in 1996 with an office in Sarajevo and a center in Srebrenica, is a non-governmental and non-profit organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). The mission of the Association is to gather survivors and family members of the victims who have disappeared or been killed in Srebrenica and Žepa during the fall of the UN "Safe haven" in 1995. The Association works with members in most of the cantons in the Federation of BiH (Sarajevo, Zenica-Doboj, Tuzla), in the smaller BiH entity, Republika Srpska, as well as the Diaspora.

The main reason for the establishment of the Association was due to the desire and needs of the mothers to directly participate in finding out about the fate of those that have disappeared in July of 1995; as well as those that have disappeared in the period between 1992 and 1995 in the regions of Srebrenica, Žepa, Han Pijesak, Rogatica,Vlasenica, Bratunac, Zvornik, Sokolac, Višegrad and Foča. Over the time, the Association’s mission has evolved to include a number of other activities, ranging from their participation in the process of postmortem exhumation, the identification process and burial of victims; to dealing with economic, social, and health issues, as well as education of children of its members.

Above mentioned activities have contributed to a number of partnerships and cooperation with organizations engaged in related issues, especially when it comes to missing persons and those that have been killed in the wars in former Yugoslavia. It also works with other organizations from around the world. The organization has prioritized its activities related to the protection of women and children’s human rights. This includes their efforts toward equality for women in the family as well as society.

The value and work of the Association has been recognized by the following awards:

• The German Association of Endangered Peoples "Victor Gollanz" Award,
• The International Peace Center "Freedom" Award,
• The League of Humanists Golden Peace Prize "Linus Pauling"
  (The only organization in BiH to receive such an award),
• The Gold Peace Prize of the City of Sarajevo Award
  (Presented by mayor Muhdin Hamandžić and Željko Komšić),
• The Merhamet Award by the Muradif Čatic Foundation
  (For contribution in raising national awareness and the gravity of the crimes committed against Bosniaks),
• The LibrePress Award from a Catalonian Association in the Girone Region,
• The UN Human Rights Day Award
• The Human Rights Award from the Bar Association of Spain,
• Turkish Radio and Television Kurumu Award,
• Recognition Award from H.E. Consulate of BiH in Izmir – A. Kemal Baysak
• Srebrenica Letter of Recognition - "Potočarska povelja"
  (For contribution to the establishment and construction of the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center),
• The Turkish Mother’s Day Award,
• The "Zehra" Magazine Reader’s Award,
• The "Heroes of the Century" Award by Bayrampaşa Municipality (Istanbul) mayor - Atila Ayduner,
  awarded to Munira Subašić and Kada Hotić.

A number of other awards and prizes have been awarded to the Association as well as its representatives. In simple terms, all of the awards have been received for the Association’s commitment in ensuring that Srebrenica and Žepa are not forgotten. We would like to highlight, among others, some of our activities.

The Association has organized three exhibitions which were part of the official program of the 2001 Srebrenica Genocide Anniversary.

"Handicrafts"
The exhibition "Handicrafts" was of income-generating character that gave our members opportunity to improve their financial situation through their creativity. The exhibition was opened by Wolfgang Petritsch High Representative of BiH, at the premises of the International Red Cross in Sarajevo. Nevertheless, the exhibition meant much more to the Association. It was an opportunity – five years after the Srebrenica Genocide – for the international representatives to come together, foreign and local, to openly talk about the crimes committed in Srebrenica.

"Srebrenica: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow"
On July 9th, 2001, at the same location, we organized a exhibition of art and literary works by our children and youth titled "Srebrenica: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow." The exhibition was inaugurated by the late President Alija Izetbegović and it was visited by then High Representative, Wolfgang Petritsch, along with Thomas Miller, the U.S. Ambassador at the time. The works on display were a powerful reminder of the past and an optimistic look into the future. The sponsor of the exhibition was the Cantonal Ministry for Refugees and Displaced Persons, which also awarded prizes to the winners. In addition, each of the participants received a prize by the Government of the Kingdom of Netherlands.

"Life After Genocide"
Exhibition named "Life After Genocide" was organized on July 10th, 2003 in the "Roman Petrovic" gallery, in Sarajevo.Photographs depicting our work as an Association fighting for truth, justice, and responsibility for what happened to our loved ones during the fall of Srebrenica and Zepa were displayed.

In partnership  with  "Women in Black" (Žene u crnom) from Belgrade and twenty-eight organizations from Serbia, Montenegro, and BiH, on November 9th, 2002, we have organized a peaceful protest with the message "May Srebrenica and New York never happen again, and no one  ever to experience the evil."

Representatives from our Association have participated and presented at a number of international conferences.  At a conference organized by the International Red Cross in Geneva, we represented Bosnia-Herzegovina and all of its peoples: Bosniaks, Croats, and Serbs, related to the issues of missing persons and violations of human rights.

In April 2003, at the international conference organized by the "Mothers for Peace" Paris, France, our representatives, together with representatives from eighty-four other countries, attended.

The "International Conference," organized by our Association and the Association "Women in Black" from Belgrade, took place in Italy on August 26, 2003. The conference was attended by individuals from 114 countries. We also participated at the international conference in Turkey titled "Muslim Women from the Balkans." 

The Association also completed a survey in regards to the burial of the victims. The results of the survey showed that the remaining family members preferred to bury their loved ones at the Srebrenica-Potočari Memorial Center.  A corner stone for the Memorial Center was laid on July 11, 2001.  The Association was actively involved in this activity. The first 600 remains of identified victims were buried in the same year in Potocari, on March 31, 2003.

Apart from our daily activities, we have also organized a number of round tables discussions.

The first one, "Srebrenica between truth and justice, memories and hope," was held on November 11th, 2003. The goal of the event was to introduce, to both Bosnian and Herzegovinian and the international audience, about the activities related to the exhumation, identification, and burial of the Srebrenica victims.  The sponsors of the round table were the Head of the Islamic Community in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Grand Mufti Mustafa Cerić, the High Representative in Bosnia-Herzegovina and the International Commission for Missing Persons.

The second round-table, "The Location, Role, and Meaning of the Museum in Potočari," located at the former battery factory, organized by our Association was held on June 18, 2003. The battery factory was then the  main base for UN troops that we are holding responsible for the genocide in Srebrenica. At our insistence, the former UN compound was annexed to the Foundation and has become a part of the Memorial Center in Potočari.  The factory became a museum where evidence and artifacts will be stored and displayed about the Srebrenica genocide.

"The truth about the Srebrenica massacre" was the topic of our third round-table, held on July 5, 2003, as part of the eighth-year commemoration of the fall of Srebrenica. The guest of the round-table was a Prosecutor from The Hague, Mark Harmon, politicians, judges, and prosecutors from around the country.

On July 11, 2006, we organized a conference titled "Justice for the Victims" in Potočari.

As part of the 14th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide, we organized a conference titled “Identifications and Exhumations of mortal remains of the missing persons in BiH” which took place on June 25th, 2009 at Hotel Holywood, Ilidža.

As part of the 16th Anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide we have organized a conference titled: “Identification and exhumation of incomplete mortal remains of the missing persons in BiH.” It took place on June 7th, 2011.

We have organized the conference titled "Mass Raping as Part of War Strategy" which took place in Sarajevo on 9 and 10 May, 2012.

We were active as members of the coordination board for the preparation of the burial of identified postmortem remains on July 11, 2003, September 20, 2003, July 11, 2004, July 11, 2005, July 11 2006, July 11 2007, July 11 2008, July 11 2009, July 11 2010, and July 11 2011 at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center.  Our members make regular trips and visits to the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial Center and are monitoring the progress made at the complex; the plans and procedures of the burials and the visits of the identification centers in Tuzla and Visoko from where the identified bodies of our loved ones are transferred to their final resting place in Potocari, upon identification. It happens often that we visit the locations of mass graves, families whose loved ones have been identified providing them emotional and psychological support.  We visit the families residing in the Sarajevo, Tuzla, Zenica-Doboj Cantons and Republika Srpska (Zepa, Han Pijesak, Srebrenica, Bratunac, Rogatica, and other cities).  We provide care for children who are living without one or both parents.

It was upon the request of our Association, handed over personally by our members in Brussels, that the European Union Parliament adopted the Resolution on the Srebrenica Genocide. Following the adoption, the EU member states shall mark July 11th every year as the day of remembrance of the Srebrenica Genocide, and the flags shall be lowered at half mast.

Our Association spent two years working on the preparation of the necessary documents for the payment of compensation to the family members of the Srebrenica Genocide and those killed or missing after the fall of Zepa, UN Safe Area. We are represented at international courts by teams of lawyers from Mostar, USA, and the Netherlands. Dozens of our members will give testimonies at the International Court of Justice in the Netherlands.

In September 2012, our Association received a prize from the World Women’s Congress in New York for our fight for truth and justice.

The Association, in partnership with the Victims and Witnesses of Genocide Association in BiH, has organized the international conference "The research process, documentation and prosecution of genocide in BiH.” The conference was held in June, 2015, and attended by then President of ICTY Theodore Meron and current President of ICTY Agius, Mr. Brammertz – Chief Prosecutor at ICTY, as well as current and former prosecutors including the first U.S. Ambassador for War Crimes, David Scheffer.

Representatives of the Association have testified in Belgrade in the Kravice case, and participated at the international conference "Women’s Court."

The representatives of the Association, along with its partners and in particularly the Victims and Witnesses of Genocide Association, are directly contributing to the initiative to form a smaller version of the ICTY in BiH after the closure of the ICTY in The Hague in 2017. The primary mission is to have the 850 cases that have been transferred to BiH through the Rule 11bis processes. They have met and are meeting with local, regional and international representatives.