“10 soldiers came into my home who had previously burned down my grandparents’ house while they were inside with my 3-year-old sister. They ordered that I go with them, and they took me to my high school. I wasn’t even 18 years old, and I had never been intimate with a man until that time. That night, they took me into the basement of the school and threw me to the floor. I couldn’t see their faces. I prayed and begged for them to stop, but nothing helped. I lost consciousness. I woke up in a classroom and felt nothing but emptiness inside. I was held in that school for a month and a half. I thought I would never be free again. They continued to come and take advantage of me during the night. When I was released and reunited with my family, I was told that they had also killed my father and brother.”

“They say that the life of every person is unique and precious. They hurt me and today I don’t see my life as valuable anymore. The horrific past of my youth is my only reality. It is a fight to keep going each day. The fight for existence becomes even harder under the veil of the scars the will not heal. 20 years ago I dreamed of a happy life. Today I have nightmares, covered in the blood of my loved ones. My light at the end of the tunnel is shut down by tears, and my voice of hope is muted by the gunshots I hear with every beat of my tired heart.”

This exhibition documents Hasija’s journey back to the place that changed her life forever and the life that is now her reality. Velija Hasanbegović captured the essence of her story through his photography.