News (134)
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Workshops "With trust against Prejudice and Discrimination" held in Tuzla, Visoko and Prnjavor
Written by Novosti
As part of the regional project "The implementation of norms, changing attitudes," funded by the European Union and implemented by UN Women, the Roma women association "Bolja buducnost" as an implementing partner under the grant "We use available mechanisms to protect yourself from violence and discrimination," held a workshop in Tuzla "With trust against discrimination and prejudices" . Two more workshops were organized by the local project partners the Roma Youth Initiative "Budi mi prijatelj " in Visoko and the Association "Romska djevojka-Romani ćej" in Prnjavor.
During the workshop and during the discussion, representatives of institutions presented mechanisms for protection against violence and discrimination within their competences. They have pointed out their partial inefficiency, especially when it comes to victims of violence, in the sense that there is no systematic support to victims after using the available protection mechanisms or after they have been in a safe house because after leaving the safe houses women are left alone and very often return in violent family. One of the common conclusions is that more work needs to be done to inform people in order to reduce prejudices and stereotypes towards vulnerable groups.
As part of the regional project "Active inclusion and rights of Roma women in the Western Balkans II" supported by the Austrian Development Agency through CARE International Balkans our association supported the education of Roma pupils in elementary and secondary schools and one university student through school supplies.
The education system in B&H does not have any special plans and programs that support the education of Roma children. But there is a BH Action Plan on the Educational Needs of Roma, adopted in July 2010 by the Council of Ministers of B&H. Education funds are not come out from the state budget, but this area has been completely transferred to the entity and cantonal ministries, and the Brcko district.
And again, the problem is money - funds allocated from the competent ministries are not enough to support the enrollment, attendance and completion of school for all Roma children. For some reason, there is still a need for such assistance and support. The aim of these activities is to reduce the differences between Roma and non-Roma children in schools as well as the promotion of education.
Happy start of new school year and a lot of success to all pupils.
EU AND UN WOMEN SUPPORT PROTECTION OF VULNERABLE WOMEN IN BIH
Written by Novosti
Women from vulnerable and minority groups in Tuzla, Prnjavor and Visoko will benefit from the new project that was presented today in Tuzla.
A project “Let’s use available mechanisms in order to protect ourselves from violence and discrimination” was presented by the Association of Roma Women “Bolja buducnost” who are partners in the European Union and UN Women Regional Programme “Implementing Norms, Changing Minds". The project aims at improving access to services for women from marginalized and vulnerable groups.
Indira Bajramovic, President of the Association Bolja buducnost, underlined that domestic violence is one of the biggest challenges of the BiH society which has long left the private sphere and is now out in the public. She emphasized the fact that marginalized communities, such as Roma, are faced with a higher risk when it comes to violence against women “Insufficient and inadequate information on available protection mechanisms from domestic violence and discrimination are a serious issue for so called “hard to reach” women, which causes lack of awareness and support for these groups of women when they experience violence or discrimination,” said Bajramovic.
The project will aim at building capacities of local institutions and increasing trust among key actors, empowering women to use services, through awareness raising campaigns, trainings and peer workshops.
UN Women Representative in BiH David Saunders underscored that the recent research done by UN Women has shown that women who belong to marginalized, minoritized groups of population in BiH are often faced with intersecting inequalities which often fail to be detected by service providers. “As part of the UN Women and the European Union regional action, we are working with partners from civil society organizations to close the gaps for women belonging to marginalized groups. UN Women invites local governments and service providers to work together to reach out to marginalized groups and hear directly from them how best to support them in exercising their rights,” said Saunders.
The project funded by the European Union in the amount of 117,000 BAM was designed according to the recommendations and strategic goals anchored in CEDAW and the Istanbul Convention, as well as the Framework strategy for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in BiH. Activities will be implemented in partnership with associations „Romska djevojka-Romani ćej“ from Prnjavor and Youth Roma initiative „Budi mi Prijatelj.”
CASE STUDY -Justification on the engagement of Roma mediators in Roma communities
Written by Novosti
Roma population are the most numerous national minority in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which also represent the most vulnerable national minority in all social parameters that are taken into account when assessing the social status of a community or social group. Roma women association "Bolja buducnost" from Tuzla through projects has been trying to improve the quality of life of the Roma population, with an emphasis on women. One of the mechanisms used recently is the engagement of Roma mediators, which represent a link between the Roma community and the institutions.
In order to establish the justification for introducing this mechanism as a "tool" for balancing the rights and obligations of an individual from the Roma community and institutions, a case study was conducted which aimed to identify the attitudes and opinions of all relevant actors in this process. The study included 50 respondents who were directly or indirectly involved or are still involved in this process.
The target group of respondents consisted of Roma mediators involved in the project FAIR II, leaders of the Roma community/president of three associations dealing with Roma issues, beneficiaries who used services of mediators and representatives of institutions from Tuzla, Sarajevo, Prnjavor and Vukosavlje.In addition, insights into individual and joint mediators reports during their engagement. In order to get the results, the following methods are used: Focus Group Methods, Interviews, Surveys, and Document Content Analysis.
Based on the results obtained, it was concluded that the engagement of Roma mediators in the general field is an example of good practice that can contribute to addressing the specific problems of Roma communities in which they are engaged through initiatives of linking the Roma community with the institutions of government, providing direct assistance to Roma in general rather than specific problem and area.
The case study was conducted within the regional project "Active inclusion and rights of Roma women in Western Balkans II" with the support of the Austrian Development Agency through CARE International Balkans.
The case study is available in BHS languages but also in English and can be downloaded from the following link: https://www.bolja-buducnost.org/.../.../category/3-explorations ...
RWA Bolja buducnost Signs Memorandum of Understanding with Municipality of Travnik and Center for Social Work Travnik
Written by Novosti
17.07.2018 RWA Bolja buducnost Tuzla signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Municipality of Travnik and the Center for Social Work of Travnik. The Memorandum was signed by the president of our association Indira Bajramovic and Mayor of Travnik Municipality Admir Hadžiemrić and in front of the Center for Social Work, Director Bojan Domic.
The main purpose of this Memorandum is to formalize cooperation and define the relationship between signatures in the implementation of the project "Active Roma for Rights and Inclusion" supported by the European Union through the EIDHR funding scheme.
One of the key objectives of the project is to strengthen Roma youth and Roma activism and cooperation between Roma representatives and institutions at the local level and to increase the level of local community responsibility through the launch of joint initiatives and support for youth Roma activism.
With these goals, the CARE International Balkans (as project implementer), in co-operation with partner organizations, RWA Bolja buducnost Tuzla and Otaharin from Bijeljina, started the education and employment process of 5 young Roma in B&H and build their knowledge and skills to become a recognizable resource in their local communities.
Lobbying and Advocacy Guidelines for Program Budgeting
Written by Novosti
Workshop "Lobbying and Advocacy Guidelines for Program Budgeting" was held in Jahorina from 06.07 - 08.07.2018
The workshop was held in the framework of the project "Young Roma and Roma women for Rights and Inclusion" which is financially supported by the European Union and implemented by CARE International in the Balkans in cooperation with the partner organizations RWA "Bolja buducnost" Tuzla and "Otaharin" Bijeljina.
Budgeting and Budgetary Monitoring through the Prism of Gender Equality
Written by Novosti
In March 2017, the UN Women Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia launched the third phase of the regional project "Promoting gender-sensitive policies in South East Europe 2017 - 2018". The project is funded by the Austrian Development Agency and the Swiss Agency for Cooperation and Development. The aim of the project is to contribute to the fulfilment of the gender equality obligations set out in various international human rights documents and national laws and strategies on gender equality in Southeast Europe (with particular emphasis on Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, FYR Macedonia and Moldova).
Through this project, UN Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina has been working with the CARE International, Balkans and Regional Project "For Active Inclusion of Roma Women in the Western Balkans II FAIR II" funded by the Austrian Development Agency.
In this regard, in cooperation with CARE International Balkans, we organized a workshop on "Budgeting and Budgetary Monitoring through the Prism of Gender Equality" for gender equality advocates, officials and non-government organizations of Tuzla Canton.
Within the regional project "Active inclusion and rights of Romani women in Western Balkans II" supported by the Austrian Development Agency through CARE International Balkans, a workshop was organized about presentation and visibility of project activities. Participants had the opportunity to learn how to present their project or idea to a visually appealing and loving way, which implies on the size and quality of the photos, the content of photo messages, and so on.
The participants also had the opportunity to learn how to record and install a one-minute movie with a smartphone and many other useful things that will assist the participants in further work.
Initiatives were funded under the project "Support to Work and Capacity Building of Roma women network "Uspjeh" B&H", funded by the OAK Foundation and implemented by the Roma women association "Bolja buducnost" Tuzla.
Association of Citizens Youth Roma Initiative "Budi mi prijatelj" in many years of work and the implementation of other projects have noted that a large number of young people from Roma communities lightly enter into sexual relations without being aware of the consequences such as unwanted pregnancies or sexually transmitted infections. All this is the result because sexuality and reproductive health are considered taboo in the Roma community, and that the parents themselves do not advise their children how to protect themselves. Today, access to this information is very easy since we have volunteer, confidential, counseling and testing centers for sexually transmitted infections, but unfortunately these centers are located in larger cities such as Sarajevo, Zenica, Banja Luka and Tuzla and are unavailable for Roma that lives in smaller environments. However, the views of young people are that they can not be infected with sexually transmitted infections, unwanted or early pregnancies, and that this information is not needed, but the number of unwanted pregnancies in Bosnia and Herzegovina is increasing, which actually shows the level of knowledge in this area.
Association of Citizens Youth Roma Initiative "Budi mi prijatelj" held a training on reproductive health topics and the use of contraceptives protect against sexually transmitted diseases and family planning.
We felt that we needed to realize this initiative in our area because in the last period we had a large number of young people who came to us because they needed assistance in exercising their right to health care, mainly from young people who were underage and pregnant. What we have succeeded is that we through the employment bureaus have managed to help in realizing the right to health care but we did not stop there. In addition to education, we managed to provide our future parents with the starter package for the newborn.
The Roma women Rabija Ramic is 33 years old. She lives in Bijeljina, community Tombak, with her husband and four underage children. They were recently had a tragedy of a fire in their home and therefore end up on the street. For a time, they were placed in the house of Rabija’s parents, but soon they had to return to their home. After the fire, the house became inalienable for further life. Therefore, the Roma women association from Bijeljina has assisted this family in the purchase of materials for renovating a room, setting linoleum, giving clothes, hygiene and bedding for start. Rabia's eldest daughter has epilepsy and, therefore, this tragedy has affected her health. Rabija and her husband are unemployed and live off the collection of secondary raw materials. This initiative was funded under the project "Supporting Work and Strengthening the Capacity of Roma women network "Uspjeh" in B&H", funded by the OAK Foundation and implemented by the Roma women association "Bolja buducnost" Tuzla. The aim of this initiative was to improve the living conditions of a six-member family, reduce the risk of possible contagious diseases and provide them with a better and safer living space.
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Thematic session "Position of Roma women in Bosnia and Herzegovina"
Written by Novosti
In co-operation with the Joint Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H and the Roma Women's Network we organise as part of regional project „For Active inclusion and rights of Roma women in western Balkan II“supported by Austrian Development Cooperation through CARE INTERNATIONAL Balkan a thematic session “The position of Roma women in Bosnia and Herzegovina “
Introductory remarks: Mrs. Maja Gasal Vrazalica (Joint Human Rights Commission of the Parliamentary Assembly of B&H), Chair of the Gender Equality Commission of the B&H House of Representatives Mr. Mirsad Isaković, Mrs. Indira Bajramović, Roma women association "Bolja buducnost" and Roma women network, Mr. Bruce G. Berton, Head of OSCE Mission to B&H, Mr. Predrag Jović, Deputy Minister of Human Rights and refugees of B&H and Mr. Gianluca Vanini, on behalf of the European Union delegation to B&H.
Life in B&H brings multiple challenges for Roma, the most numerous national minority in our country, while at the same time being socially, economically and politically the most marginalized, emphasized at a thematic session.As pointed out, the Roma, especially Roma women, face daily discrimination and those struggling with extreme poverty, domestic violence, juvenile marriages, forced begging, as well as poor access to education and unemployment.
During the thematic session, it was emphasised that gender equality should be introduced when drafting strategic documents and action plans for Roma and Roma women in areas of health, housing, employment and education, as well as changing the methodology and introducing mandatory monitoring of their implementation.Also, the participants agreed that it is necessary to prescribe clear criteria and to make a transparent and accessible process of election and appointment of members of national minority councils. In this process, it is said, measures should be introduced to achieve gender equality through quotas, as well as to affirm women for the nomination process in the councils of national minorities.
On the occasion of the International Dialogue and Development Day for Cultural Diversity, the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina organized a Tolerance Olympics in Teocak on May 19, 2018, which brought together young people from five cities / municipalities where anti-hate coalitions work. On this event also participated representatives of our association.
The aim of the Olympics of Tolerance is the promotion of cultural diversity and fight against hatred, the inclusion of youth in the activities carried out by coalitions in their communities, and the establishment of contacts for other forms of cooperation. Young people from Bijeljina, Teočak, Zvornik, Gradacac and Tuzla learned about the characteristics and consequences of hate speech, action plans of social affiliation and human rights. As part of the program, sports competitions were held.
Nearly two thousand Roma are animated for regular registration at the Employment Service
Written by Novosti
Roma women association "Bolja buducnost" from Tuzla in cooperation with the Roma women network "Uspjeh" successfully carried out a campaign entitled "Sign in - realize rights on the basis of unemployment“. Campaign was conducted in eight communities in B&H, which covered 36 Roma communities in Tuzla, Kakanj, Bijeljina, Prnjavor, Vukosavlje, Visoko, Sarajevo and Bugojno.
During the campaign and field work, the results that came out showed that the work of the mediator was very significant because of the fact that in different places they recognized the same problems and needs.
This campaign included 1759 Roma who received specific help to solve a particular problem. In addition, all of them were also inform about the importance of registration to Employment Services and to realize rights on the basis of unemployment.
In the Roma settlement in Travnik, a very small number of Roma and Roma women are engaged in some specific sport. There has recently been a problem where is noticed that young people are consuming narcotics. Considering that the previous initiatives focused on sharing information about sport and to help young people to get involved and live better and quality life, this time with the help of the women's soccer club, Rosa Brandis, we organized a youth tournament to make more approachable the purpose of sport as well as importance for health care.