A study of attitudes to justice and reconciliation in Mostar

Encuesta de actitudes respecto a la justicia y a la reconciliación en Mostar

The Communities in Crisis Project is studying the interrelationships of justice, accountability, and social reconstruction in the former Yugoslavia. We are interested in examining what people who survived the 1991-95 war think about rebuilding communities that were destroyed, both physically and socially, and whether they have evolved their own strategies for rebuilding their lives. Today, Mostar remains a divided city in a Federation that emerged newborn from the Dayton Accord and which is still under the influence of the international community. Incidents and provocations continue in the city although more subtle than the violence that marked the early years after the war.

In June, 2000, we completed a random sample survey of 800 households in Mostar -- 400 Croat and 400 Bosniak-- asking questions related to attitudes toward justice, the ICTY, war-time trauma, attitudes towards and stereotypes about national groups, and attitudes about reconciliation. Survey respondents were 70% urban and 30% rural. To enrich these data, we completed eight focus groups (four from each national group) that assessed responses to similar questions. We invited participants who met the criteria for one of the following segments of society - youth (18-35 years); those who experienced loss as a result of war; business people who are interested in investment in the development of the country; and finally, representatives of non-governmental organizations. Groups consisted of a maximum of eight people and were of mixed gender. Focus groups were completed in December 2000.

In this paper, we report on the findings from this qualitative study. These results will be examined in the context of other sources of data including key informant interviews and the survey results.