Ajna Jusić is a psychologist and a feminist from Zenica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, who currently resides in Sarajevo. In 2018, she founded the Forgotten Children of War Association, the first organization in the Western Balkans to advocate for the social and legal visibility of children born of rape during war and against the associated social stigma. Following years of effort, in 2023, Ms. Jusić and her organization advocated successfully for the passage of the first such law in the world, which grants special rights to children born through acts of wartime sexual violence. This law will help provide compensation to these marginalized individuals – who are now young adults – by providing increased social protection and countering years of stigmatization. Having started the vital conversation to help children born of rape to slowly emerge from the shadows, Ms. Jusić and her organization have also assisted victims of other conflicts, including Rwanda and Ukraine, to address social stigma and to fight for equality.
Ajna Jusić
