Witnesses, fighters, and heroines are the words used to describe the mothers and women of Srebrenica. For 27 years, they fought for the truth, the existence of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, to find the remains of their loved ones, and to punish the perpetrators of the most terrible crimes. Their voices have brought the Srebrenica genocide to the attention of the whole world. Their struggle and the roles of women in post-conflict societies were discussed at the Srebrenica Heroines International Conference, which was held on July 10 at the Srebrenica Memorial Center on the occasion of the 27th anniversary of the Srebrenica genocide. The conference was organized by the Movement of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves, the Post-Conflict Research Center, and the Srebrenica Memorial Center, and its panelists included women from Srebrenica, the Podrinje region, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the wider Balkan region, and around the world. In four separate panels – “Missing Persons,” “Judicial Legacies,” “Memorialization & Role of Mothers,” and “Women’s Activism in Politics” – the panelists discussed the immeasurable role of women in Bosnian-Herzegovinian society and their contribution to changing international law. They also encouraged other women around the world to never give up. Munira Subašić, president of the Movement of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves, emphasized the significance of holding the “Srebrenica Heroines” conference at the place where the genocide was committed. Her message to all the women of the world was to follow the example of the mothers of Srebrenica: “We are women who lost those closest to us, but we stand proud. We have managed to raise [our children] without hatred or a need for retaliation.” Alice Wairimu Nderita, United Nations Special Adviser for the Prevention of Genocide, highlighted the necessity of talking about the Srebrenica genocide, stating “History teaches us that genocide denial and glorification of war criminals divides peoples, communities, and states. Denying genocide constitutes an attack on human dignity, especially to the victims and survivors. We must confront it.” She also applauded the courage of the mothers of Srebrenica who she noted deserve the greatest credit for bringing war criminals to justice. Emir Suljagić, director of the Srebrenica Memorial Center, said that the women survivors set the example, giving everyone a sense of direction and purpose after the genocide in July 1995. “Nobody liked us after 1995. No one welcomed us. People didn’t even know what had happened here in July 1995, or even before that. This part of the world here had been taken back to the Middle Ages, and these women showed us direction and purpose. Thanks to them, we knew what to do next,” explained Suljagić. Velma Šarić, president and founder of the Post-Conflict Research Center, presented the background of the Movement of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves. She pointed out that the mothers of Srebrenica contributed immensely to the process of proving genocide and war crimes in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the long-term fight. “They did this through their brave testimonies, but also, very frequently, by submitting evidence and everything that was necessary just to prove that their husbands, fathers, brothers, and sons had actually existed,” added Šarić. Hamdija Fejzić, president of the Organizing Committee for the Commemoration of the 27th Anniversary of the genocide, said that in the genocide against Bosniaks in Srebrenica, thousands of women were left without husbands, brothers, and sons, but persisted, nevertheless, in the fight for truth and justice. “They are the voice of those who cannot speak because they have been killed. In the first years, all of them hoped to find their loved ones, for them to return alive. Then they spent years hoping to find the bones of their loved ones, to bury them with dignity as they deserve, to find peace for them and their loved ones,” said Fejzić, during the opening remarks at the Srebrenica Heroines Conference. Kada Hotić, Vice President of the Movement of Mothers of Srebrenica and Žepa Enclaves, Kathryne Bomberger, Director-General of the International Commission on Missing Persons (ICMP), Pakiza Colo, Head of the ICMP Data Coordination Department, Dragana Vučetić, senior forensic scientist and anthropologist at ICMP and Alma Džaferović, head of the War Crimes Department of the Tuzla Canton Prosecutor’s Office addressed the public during the panel Missing Persons. Hotić said that they fought for their lives with superhuman strength during the war, but also that women’s adaptability played a key role in this effort. “Many lives were taken but they did not kill our spirit,” said Hotić.