Interfaith Women Plan to Aid Bosnia Rape Victims

Two women rabbis, a Roman Catholic nun and an Iranian-American woman have joined forces in Los Angeles to send help to rape victims in Bosnia, where sexual assault reportedly has been used as a war tactic by Serbs.

Rabbi Laura Geller, director of the Westside office of the American Jewish Congress, united with members of the Muslim Women’s League and the Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles in December to form an interfaith coalition. The Women’s Coalition Against Ethnic Cleansing has grown to include several governmental and rape crisis organizations. They are funding delegations to send supplies and support to women sexually assaulted in the war-torn former Yugoslavia.

Serbian forces in Bosnia have deliberately detained large groups of women for the purpose of rape and sexual abuse, according to a report by Amnesty International, the London-based human rights group. The European Community has reported that as many as 20,000 women have been raped in the Serbs’ rebellion against a vote by majority Muslims and Croats to make Bosnia independent from Serbian-dominated Yugoslavia. But Amnesty’s legal officer, Nick Howen, says it is impossible to estimate the number of rape victims.

The coalition of 17 organizations includes the Los Angeles Commission on Women, Jewish Hillel Student Organizations and the Pasadena YWCA Rape Crisis Center. Several private individuals are also among the more than 100 members who have participated in rallies and collected donations to begin sending volunteers to refugee camps in Bosnia next month.

The first delegation will assess the victims’ needs and speak at churches, mosques and synagogues after their return to raise money. The first group to go will be Muslim women because the Muslim Women’s League has received reports that the rape victims trust only other Muslim women, board member Nahid Ansari says.

The delegation will also bring books on trauma counseling requested by a women’s shelter called the Zagreb Women’s Lobby. Mental health workers in the former Yugoslavia are unaccustomed to treating rape victims and say materials mailed to them are being confiscated, said Lisa Marsh of the Pasadena center.

Marsh, who has spoken with members of the women’s lobby by telephone, learned about the group through an appeal sent from Zagreb via an electronic bulletin board.

“Exchange of experiences between the women helping rape victims in different countries and direct support is necessary to build the needed network of volunteers and institutions as soon as possible,” the lobby’s open letter reads.

In the last month, the Pasadena center has been flooded with calls from people looking to help, said Director Lisa Watson, who recommends that callers send literature on women, rape and war and contribute to the YWCA’s women refugee fund.