As every year, 8th March – International Women’s Day, is marked with thousands of events around the world, conducted by various women’s human rights groups, the UN agencies, the government’s “gender” institutions, etc. Along with local feminist groups, Bosnia and Herzegovina is no exception: CURE Foundation marked the International Women’s Day 2010, with the great activists’ march – Osmomartovski march.
‘’International Women’s Day, except in the former Yugoslav republics and some socialist countries, around the world is celebrated by the mass demonstrations in which women seek more rights and respect of those rights for which they fought. In our region, there is a maintained tradition of celebration, and giving away flowers as a gift, which was taken from the earlier system in which the 8th of March lost its ideological basis and turned into the opposite. The rights of women, their status in society, violence against them and mobbing at work which they are often exposed to, are unfortunately, little mentioned or not at all’’, stated CURE Foundation in their release.
Osmomartovski march: Women voicing their rights
The activists gathered on Monday, the 8th of March in Sarajevo, at 11:00 am in front of the Parliament of B&H and then made a joint walk to the former Liberation Square (Trg Alija Izetbegovic), where they have held quiet standing and performance.
Osmomartovski Sarajevo March for the 8th of March, united women’s organizations from all over Bosnia and Herzegovina, young women from CURE Network and citizens of B&H, who had the same goal and that is to make joint steps interspersed with messages of peace and gender equality.
At 12.00 hours on the Liberation Square, there was a short performance with purpose to remind the public that violence against women is a problem all of citizens in B&H, that there is always a way out.
8th of March was also an opportunity for CURE Foundation to celebrate Women’s Day and to remind themselves, their neighbors and all the local public about the importance of such an occasion and holidays. All organizations which supported the Osmomartovski march, continually advocate for women’s human rights in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the day of the march, they have reminded the media and citizens, of B&H, that this year is the election year and that Bosnia and Herzegovina has no future without women.
In this way, we will inform the public about the importance of promoting women’s human rights problems in the relationship between the state of the existing gender gap that affects the conduct and management of the state.
2010: The election year in B&H
Osmomartovski march, CURE Foundation also used to draw attention to the up-coming elections in 2010 in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and that the path towards a democratic society and the membership of the European Union is followed by the greater representation of women in positions of decision making. Having in mind the position of women in B&H in year 1951, up until today, there were no or a negligible percentage on ruling positions.
International Women’s Day was marked also by the UN Commission on the Status of Women’s Rights (UN CWS) with a large conference in New York (53rd sessions in a row) on the occasion of the 15 years of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, that was also signed and ratified by the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
In addition to the promises given to the government of most countries in the world, it is interesting to look and what did Bosnia and Herzegovina do regarding the obligations and responsibilities assumed by ratification of the platform for action. The CWS report can be found on this link: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/53sess.htm , and the development and progress of the events and conferences, can be monitored through a webcast: http://www.un.org/webcast/
‘’We are the witnesses of fake 8th of March, a day when you by a rose to your wife, mother, girlfriend, which is supposed to indicate the “special attention” on that day, while the very next day, the oppression of women continues, along with other evils: underestimating women’s values and work, violence against women, femicid, misogyny, ignorance of women’s human rights etc. Let’s demand therefore, real equality and women’s rights”, stated CURE Foundation.
Photos of the Event:
The great Sarajevo march for International Women’s Day, Sarajevo, March 2010
Video of the Event:
Osmomartovski March – 03/08/2010, Sarajevo
