The Human Rights House in Sarajevo, in partnership with the Helsinki Committee of Human Rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina, started realizing the project „Children`s rights – practice and strategy in BiH“ at June 03, 2004. Their first destination was north – west and centralBosnia where they visited primary schools gathering educationists from schools – teachers, psychologists, social workers, directors, representatives of competent ministries, NGO`s activists, representatives of primary school pupils and representatives of local youth councils. 

 

Even though Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified European Convention of Human Rights, Convention on the rights of the Child, whereby both Conventions came into force and became an integral part of the legal system of the country, the rights of children are almost invisible in the social life.

Also, following other legal weapons, such as Dayton Agreement, Optional protocol about involving children in armed conflict, Protocol about children trafficking, prostitution and pornography and the National Action Plan for Children in BiH for 2002 – 2010, one can say that the legal system in Bosnia and Herzegovina strongly protects children rights. The final goal of this protection should be the settlement of social justice, social equality and children’s protection. The complete care about children has been transferred to the entities, and in the Federation even to the cantons, so the children´s rights differ,it depends on a local legal regulation. That is why the civil society becomes more and more active.

Also, unstable economic situation results with bed economic, social system of education, post-war trauma in families which is expressed through violence, alcoholism or drug abuse. These are the main features of the environment in which children of Bosnia and Herzegovina grow, educate and prepare to undertake responsibility and obligations within the human society. 

 

Through this project, the Human Rights House in Sarajevo exchanged experiences, information with social workers, teachers, other NGOs and informal groups in the schools where this project started maintaining. The actors discussed about legal regulation and practice in a light of ratified Conventions, strategy of social and health care of children, their educational, social and cultural position, family care and influence on the growth of a child, and everything in a view of the fragmentized legislative system of Bosnia and Herzegovina . Discussion also was about Monitoring of the state of children’s rights in BiH and the measures for their special protection.

The lecturers of the seminar were the members of Helsinki Committee of Human Rights, UN experts for social politics, and NGO`s members and experts in the field of human rights and children’s rights.

 

Duration of the project is 12 months, so it continues in a future, whereby the organizers will visit north – east and south Bosnia and Herzegovina, cities Drvar, Livno, Stolac, Trebinje, Foca/Srbinje, Zvornik, Srebrenica, Brcko, Jajce, Doboj and Sarajevo. So far, they have visited cities Prijedor, Sanski Most, Velika Kladusa and Drvar. Each workshop will gather 30 participants and the project will be realized in 3 phases – organizational part, realization of workshops, making summary of activities on realization of the project. Through the realization of this project, the organizer expects to improve basic knowledge and skills of the target groups in recognizing and identifying the children’s rights in the light of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, and encourage them to improve the practice of protection of children’s rights.