According to international organizations' reports, it is estimated that at least 20,000 women and men were raped or sexually abused in Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter: BiH) during the war from 1992 to 1995. In addition to the above, it is important to point out that women make up a total of 25 percent of all civilian victims of the war in BiH. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (hereinafter: ICTY) was established in May 1993 as a reaction of the international community, and primarily the United Nations Security Council, to the mass crimes that took place in BiH and the region. From the moment of its foundation, as part of its mandate, the ICTY conducted investigations and based on them brought indictments, inter alia, for wartime sexual violence. The first in a series of indictments concerning wartime sexual violence was filed in 1995 in the case of Duško Tadić. This trial is also the first court case related to war crimes in the world that included wartime sexual violence. The case against Duško Tadić marked the beginning of a new judicial practice in international criminal law, according to which rape was qualified as a crime against humanity for the first time.

War crimes, including sexual violence, were committed systematically and categorically throughout the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some of the locations, including wider municipal areas, where the most cases of sexual violence were recorded are: Višegrad, Foča, Rogatica, Prijedor, Zvornik, Vlasenica, Mostar, Konjic, Bijeljina and Brčko. The victims of rape and other forms of sexual violence were from all parts of BiH, both women and men from all ethnic groups, but according to the facts established by the courts and reports of the international community, they were mostly women of Bosniak nationality, of different ages, where the majority of women was of reproductive age. Despite the severity of the crime and the extremely high estimated number of victims, as well as the extensive judicial practice, there is no adequate institutional response in BiH to the memorialization of the suffering of victims of wartime sexual violence. Crime scenes confirmed by court facts do not have official and formal markings, while the efforts of victims' associations and civil society organizations to mark such places are often met with resistance from local authorities. 

The victims of severe human rights violations cannot be forgotten, and states have a duty to preserve the historical memory of periods of wartime violence. In this sense, monuments, museums and commemorative activities are irreplaceable educational initiatives that establish public records and registers and serve in the fight against denial as well as deterring the repetition of crimes. In BiH, the process of transitional justice has never been fully implemented, and one of the proofs is precisely the lack of adequate memorialization of the place of suffering, as one of the basic principles of transitional justice, which leads to creating an adequate environment for reconciliation. Restoring the dignity of the victims and acknowledging their suffering through memorialization is one of the key steps in building peace and a stable society.