A Voice For the Voiceless

The Advocacy Project helps marginalized communities to tell their story, claim their rights and produce social change. We recruit graduate students to volunteer as Peace Fellows with partners.

The Impact of Service



"Speaking with locals and living in a country is the best way to learn about the real lives of citizens, not just the stories in the mainstream media. I will be more critical of what I read as a result of this experience. I also feel even more grateful for my education, and I feel a stronger responsibility to assist others who do not have resources or access to opportunities in their communities."

Maria Skouras (New York University) volunteered in 2011 as a Peace Fellow for eHomemakers in Malaysia.

For more 2011 feedback click here.

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Partner Campaigns > Survivors of the ... > Challenge > Dead and Missing

Dead and Missing

Over 8,000 people disappeared at Srebrenica, and the task of identifying their remains has fallen to the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP). So far, about 100 mass graves have been excavated in Bosnia, 15 mass graves have yet to be opened in the Srebrenica area. The ICMP has identified and buried over 5,000 persons. In addition, about 5,000 body bags representing more than 1,500 individuals are stored at the ICMP headquarters in Tuzla.

Identifying the bodies is a lengthy and complicated process. The introduction of DNA testing in the early 2000s allowed for accurate identifications, but testing still faces serious difficulties. During the war, the Serbs repeatedly dug up graves and moved the bodies to conceal the full extent of their atrocities. As a result, parts from the same bodies have been scattered throughout different graves. In addition, entire families were wiped out at Srebrenica, making the match even more difficult. AP’s Iain Guest visited the ICMP in June 2004 and described some of the ethical challenges and person stress facing workers at the ICMP as they go about the difficult task of stripping bones and trying to make connections.

Once identified, bodies are re-buried at a solemn religious ceremony on 11 July at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery, bringing some closure to the families. This year, the ICMP expects to rebury hundreds of bodies, including close relatives of two Bosfam weavers (Zifa and Sima). At this rate, it will take about 10 more years to complete the Srebrenica burials - an agonizingly long wait for the relatives still in limbo.
     Unburied skeletons in the woods around
     Srebrenica


  At the ICMP in Tuzla: The majority of remains have yet to be
  identified
  Every year on July 11, newly identified bodies are given proper
  burial at the Srebrenica-Potocari Memorial and Cemetery.

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