Children’s rights are human rights that are not prioritized in Bosnia and Herzegovina. A group of young people and children from all over the country has become actively involved in solving issues related to children’s rights in BiH. The Platform for the Advancement of Children’s Rights is very helpful, as it makes information in this field available. Through the Platform, they can talk to their peers and government representatives and advocate for solutions to various problems.
Non-governmental organizations are helping to educate and empower hardworking Roma women to take an active role in Bosnian society. The Otaharin Citizens Association for Promotion of Roma Education is a prime example. Otaharin’s mission is to increase the levels of education, social and economic integration, and inclusion of vulnerable marginalized groups, including Roma women. The association has given women like Sabira Hašimović a “normal” life.
Women who chose to wear a hijab – the headscarf worn by Muslim women as a religious custom – are sometimes subjected to jokes, negative comments, prejudice, and stereotypes. Usually, they simply ignore this. Instead, they focus on professional and social development, proving that women, covered or uncovered, are not just meant to stay at home.
Around 1,500 people marched through the streets of Sarajevo on the 25th of June under the slogan “Family Gathering” in the third-ever pride march in Bosnia and Herzegovina to protest discrimination and injustice against the LGBTI community.
On July 23rd, 2021, Valentin Inzko, the High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), introduced a Law on the Amendment to the Criminal Code of Bosnia and Herzegovina punishing the denial of international crimes and glorification of war criminals. Coming shortly before the end of his mandate, this decision, in Inzko’s words, was taken after “all chances offered to the domestic authorities to distance themselves from war criminals were ultimately rejected.”