The women of Bosnia and Herzegovina will, once again, on this 8 March raise their voice and say out loud that they want their human rights. Their position today is extremely difficult and not at all enviable. Women are discriminated against to a great extent in all spheres of life. They will, on this particular date, perhaps get a rose or a gift, instead of an apology. This small manifestation of attention will surely not improve their situation. (08-MAR-06)

Written by HRH / Mirsad Pandzic

Beneath the, at the first sight, idyllic picture of this 8 March, a much worse reality of our country is hidden. I suppose that the German feminist Klara Zetkin – a great activist for women´s rights, in her fight for this day as the day of gifts and attention to the gentler sex, had not even dreamed that this day could once, so many years later, become a reminder of the degree of resentment of a woman – the woman from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Unfortunately, the reality imposes such a perspective on this day.

Statistic
According to statistics, women make up 51 per cent of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which seems to be the only positive statistical data or that in favour of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina; all other are pretty disgraceful and shameful for the whole society of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Catastrophic situation
The evidently catastrophic economic and social situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina tends to affect vulnerable groups the most –women, children, the elderly. Women´s access to employment has become very limited, around 59 per cent of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not have health insurance, domestic violence has a tendency to grow, and our country is frequently the country of origin of victims of human trafficking, while the number of female politicians is insignificant.

Raped women
The number of over 20,000 raped women surely deserves to be mentioned separately. The state´s care for this “category” of threatened women is shameful. The efforts of human rights activists to ensure the status of civilian victims of war for these women were in vain. Until the present date, no adequate solution of the state has been found for this issue. One could ask if they had been getting cards and gifts for this special day.

Tradition interrupted
This year, the tradition was briefly interrupted. The film director Jasmila Zbanic, bringing the «Golden Bear» – the first award of the Berlin Film Festival, has brought them perhaps the best perspective. Treating this particular topic in her film, showing the life of a raped woman, she turned the attention of the Bosnian public to this issue and made them try to do something for these women. The film has perhaps made this 8 March brighter for the women. Surely nothing will change their pain and their suffering, but this can restore their faith in all those people who have fought and are still fighting for them, but also for millions of other women all over the world. These activists however, whether we wanted to admit this or not, tend to be women only.

Pay attention and don’t forget
To pay attention and then to forget all said and done the day after is meaningless and is not the idea of this date. Unfortunately, all points in that direction. We are left with hope for a better tomorrow and efforts to make every day special for women and to respect their rights every day, with the 8 March being only the crown of all these fine memories.