Series:SOC - Ljudska prava

Jednaka zaštita za različitost. Priručnik o postupanju u slučaju kršenja ljudskih prava LGBT osoba za policijske djelatnike_ice

Author(s): Edina Sprečaković,Vladana Vasić / Language(s): Bosnian

Društvo u Bosni i Hercegovini karakteriše visok stepen homofobije što je rezultat neznanja, neinformisanosti, kao i razmišljanja da su LGBT (lezbejke, gej muškarci, biseksualne i transrodne) osobe nešto što ne postoji u našem društvu ili nešto što dolazi sa Zapada. Ovakav stav javnosti dovodi do toga da se LGBT osobe svakodnevno susreću sa mnogobrojnim problemima, te nerijetko i diskriminacijom i nasiljem zbog svoje seksualne orijentacije ili rodnog identiteta. LGBT osobe spadaju u jednu od najnevidljivijih manjinskih grupa u BiH, zbog čega su izloženije i podložnije diskriminaciji i nasilju koji najčešće ostaju neprijavljeni zbog straha od autovanja (javnog otkrivanja njihove seksualne orijentacije i/ili rodnog identiteta) i nepovjerenja u reakcije državnih institucija. Zbog osjetljivosti i specifičnosti položaja LGBT osoba u bh. društvu, veoma je bitno posvetiti dodatnu pažnju postupanju sa ovim osobama prilikom prijave krivičnog djela. Ovaj priručnik je namijenjen policijskim službenicima_ama, koji_e imaju značajnu ulogu kada su u pitanju zaštita i ostvarivanje ljudskih prava. Potrebno je da policijski_e službenici_e, kao prva i građanima najbliža instanca zaštite ljudskih prava, razumiju probleme sa kojima se svakodnevno susreću LGBT osobe, te da budu dovoljno senzibilizirani_e da ovim osobama pristupe na odgovarajući način u slučaju krivičnih djela počinjenih prema ovim osobama.

KA ODGOVORNOM I PROFESIONALNOM POSTUPANJU SA LEZBEJKAMA, GEJEVIMA, BISEKSUALNIM, TRANSRODNIM I INTERSPOLNIM OSOBAMA - PRIRUČNIK ZA PREDSTAVNIKE_CE INSTITUCIJA KOJE DJELUJU NA NIVOU OPĆINA, GRADOVA I KANTONA U BIH

Author(s): Dajana Cvjetković,Vladana Vasić / Language(s): Bosnian

Poštovane_i profesionalke_profesionalci, ako se nikad u svom radu niste susrele_i sa lezbejkom, gejem, biseksualnom, transrodnom ili interspolnom (LGBTI) osobom, onda je ovaj priručnik namijenjen upravo vama. Razmislite! Ukoliko tokom višegodišnjeg profesionalnog rada niste upoznale_i LGBTI osobu, da li to možda znači da je niste prepoznale_i, a ne da je nije bilo?! Dopustite da navedemo jedan primjer. Prema rezultatima popisa stanovništva iz 2013. godine, u Federaciji BiH živi oko 80.000 građanki i građana koje_i se ne izjašnjavaju kao pripadnice_i konstitutivnih naroda, već kao pripadnice_i nacionalnih manjina, kao Bosanke_ci i/ili Hercegovke_ci, kao pripadnice_i drugih etničkih identiteta, ili se naprosto ne izjašnjavaju u vezi s etničkom pripadnošću. Uzimajući to u obzir, da li ste se u radu susreli_e sa Romkinjama_Romima, Jevrejkama_Jevrejima, Albankama_ Albancima, Crnogorkama_Crnogorcima? Ili sa osobama koje se nacionalno ne izjašnjavaju? Njih u FBiH ima oko 18 hiljada. Poznajete li osobu koja se izjašnjava kao Hrvatica_Hrvat u Kantonu Sarajevo? Njih 17.000 tako se izjasnilo. Pripadnice_pripadnike svih ovih zajednica i grupa sigurno poznajete. Kako je onda moguće da ne poznajete niti jednu ili jako mali broj LGBTI osoba, koje, prema procjenama, širom svijeta čine od 3 do 12 posto ukupnog broja stanovništva? U Kantonu Sarajevo, 10 posto stanovništva je više od 40.000 osoba – da li je, stoga, moguće da nikada niti jedna LGBTI osoba nije došla po uslugu kod vas?

Ka ostvarivanju ravnopravnosti polova u kantonima Federacije BiH. Pravila, institucije, politike

Author(s): Saša Savičić / Language(s): Bosnian

Ravnopravnost polova je dio korpusa ljudskih prava, kako u svijetu, tako i kod nas. Ravnopravnost žena i muškaraca je ustavna kategorija. Ustavom BiH, ustavima entiteta i kantona kao i Statutom Brčko distrikta BiH zagarantovano je uživanje prava i sloboda, predviđenih ustavom ili međunarodnim sporazumima o ljudskim pravima, svim licima u BiH bez diskriminacije po bilo kojem osnovu, uklju- čujući i pol. Za efikasnije ostvarivanje pojedinih ljudskih prava donose se zakoni. BiH je u oblasti ravnopravnosti polova donijela Zakon o ravnopravnosti polova u BiH (2003) kojim se uređuje, promoviše i štiti ravnopravnost polova, garantuju jednake mogućnosti i ravnopravan tretman svih osoba bez obzira na pol, u javnoj i privatnoj sferi društva, te uređuje zaštita od diskriminacije po osnovu pola i seksualne orijentacije. Ovim zakonom se eksplicitno propisuje da su osobe muškog i ženskog pola ravnopravne i to u svim oblastima društva.

Ka pozitivnim praksama. Izvještavanje medija u 2013. godini o LGBT temama u Bosni i Hercegovini

Author(s): Lejla Huremović,Kristina Ljevak,Jasmina Čaušević / Language(s): Bosnian

Analiza koja je pred vama još jedna je u nizu publikacija u okviru projekta Coming out! Zagovaranje i zaštita prava LGBT osoba, koji finansira Evropska unija, a realizuju ga Fondacija Heinrich Böll, Ured za Bosnu i Hercegovinu, zajedno sa partnerskim organizacijama Sarajevskim otvorenim centrom i Fondacijom CURE. Ova analiza Izvještavanje medija u 2013. godini o LGBT temama u Bosni i Hercegovini doprinosi kontinuiranom praćenju medija koje Sarajevski otvoreni centar provodi već treću godinu zaredom. Monitoring medijskog izvještavanja tokom 2013. godine razlikuje se od prethodna tri jer se proširuje medijski prostor za analizu, tako da se u ovoj publikaciji, pored štampanih medija, pokazuje na koji način se i ostali mediji – televizija, radio i online mediji – bave LGBT pitanjima. U uvodnom dijelu se skreće pažnja na neke rezultate istraživanja koji su pokazali kako LGBT osobe vide rad medija kada je u pitanju pisanje o njima i njihovim potrebama i problemima, kao i na zakonski okvir koji uređuje medijski prostor u BiH, te na politike društvenih prilika u kojima se izvještava o ovoj marginalizovanoj i ranjivoj grupi. U metodološkim napomenama opisan je način rada na ovom istraživanju i predstavljen materijal koji su autorice podvrgle dekonstruisanju. Osnovni cilj ovog istraživanja bio je predstaviti medijsku sliku u 2013. godini kada su LGBT teme u pitanju, te kroz paralelnu analizu profesionalno najreprezentativnijih i najmanje profesionalnih i etičkih medijskih objava pokazati koje su to dobre, odnosno loše novinarske prakse. Cilj je, također, bio predložiti i moguće smjernice za prevazilaženje negativnih profesionalnih praksi u medijskom izvještavanju u BiH. Kroz osvrt na medijsku kulturu dati su odgovori na pitanje zašto je važno analizirati medijske sadržaje vezane za marginalizovane grupe. Centralni dio analize predstavlja komparativni prikaz najpozitivnijih i najnegativnijih primjera medijskog izvještavanja, uz argumentovano iznošenje pozitivne odnosno negativne kritike materijala. Na kraju se nalaze opšti zaključci kojima se daje cjelokupna slika situacije u poređenju sa situacijom iz prethodnih godina, kao i specifične preporuke za svaki od analiziranih medija koji bi mogli da pomognu novinarkama i novinarima da unaprijede svoj rad. Sveukupno, u praćenoj dnevnoj i periodičnoj štampi, na internetu, radiju i televiziji, od januara do decembra 2013. godine pojavilo se 1415 medijskih objava. U štampanim medijima ukupno je objavljeno 799 tekstova, na televiziji je bilo 104 priloga, na portalima je objavljeno 508 tekstova, dok su na radiju bila samo 4 priloga vezana za LGBT pitanja. Na ovom mjestu napominjemo da su se LGBT teme pojavljivale i na nekim drugim online portalima, te televizijama i televizijskim emisijama koje nisu bile unaprijed označene za medijski monitoring. Uopšteni zaključak bio bi da se, i pored mnogobrojnih neetičnih i neprofesionalnih primjera izvještavanja, otvorio prostor za optimizam, jer se broj medijskih objava o LGBT relevantnim temama značajno povećao u odnosu na prethodnu godinu, a u načinu pisanja novinara_ki čita se dosljednost u bavljenju LGBT temama, te istraživački pristup koji rezultira kvalitetnijim člancima. Iako su se ove godine prvi put pratila izvještavanja televizija, radiostanica i webportala, ohrabruje veliki broj njihovih medijskih objava, posebno na internetu. Treba pohvaliti domaće TV kuće koje su, sve zajedno, više od dva sata svog prostora (preko 120 minuta) posvetile LGBT temama, vrijeme koje nije zanemarivo kada se uporedi sa minutažom koju dobijaju druge manjinske grupe. S obzirom na to da se štampani mediji prate već treću godinu zaredom, imamo preciznu sliku o tome da se broj tekstova povećava: u odnosu na prošlu godinu, broj štampanih priloga porastao je za 277, te je u skladu s tim u porastu i pisanje o temama iz BiH i pozitivni tekstovi (u prošloj godini bilo ih je samo 28, dok ih je ove godine čak 173).

Ka pozitivnim praksama. Izvještavanje medija u 2014. godini o LGBT temama u Bosni i Hercegovini

Author(s): Kristina Ljevak,Lejla Huremović,Sandra Zlotrg / Language(s): Bosnian

Analiza koja je pred vama posljednja je publikacija u okviru projekta Coming out! Zagovaranje i zaštita prava LGBT osoba, koji finansira Evropska unija, a realizuju ga Fondacija Henrich Böll, Ured za Bosnu i Hercegovinu, zajedno sa partnerskim organizacijama Sarajevskim otvorenim centrom i Fondacijom CURE. Analiza doprinosi kontinuiranom praćenju medija koju Sarajevski otvoreni centar provodi već četvrtu godinu zaredom. Da bismo odgovorile na pitanje zašto je važno analizirati kako mediji izvještavaju o LGBT temama, podsjetile smo se na izazove s kojima se mediji danas suočavaju, specifičnosti bh. medijskog prostora i kodeksa struke. Osvrćemo se i na to šta nam govori oprema teksta/priloga, te kakve probleme uzrokuju komentari u online medijima. Kao analitički alat poslužio nam je koncept Romana Kuhara o pet dominantnih načina na koje se LGBT osobe prikazuju u medijima. Središnji dio analize predstavlja analiza medijskog sadržaja kroz statističku obradu podataka, te komparativni prikaz nekih pozitivnih i negativnih praksi izvještavanja. Na kraju donosimo opšte zaključke kojima se daje cjelokupna slika medijskog izvještavanja u 2014. godini, kao i specifične preporuke koje bi mogle pomoći novinarkama i novinarima da unaprijede svoj rad.

Kratki vodič kroz profesionalno izvještavanje o LGBT temama

Author(s): Jasmina Čaušević,Lejla Huremović / Language(s): Bosnian

The term sexuality is closely related to the terms sexual identity and sexual orientation. Sexual identity can be defined as a combination of one's own sexuality, sexual orientation, and public representation of sexual goals, i.e., as the way a person defines his or her own sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is commonly defined as a pattern of emotional and sexual attraction to people of the same or opposite sex. In theoretical terms, sexual orientation encompasses three dimensions: sexual behavior, emotional and erotic attraction, and sexual fantasy. People may or may not show their sexual orientation through their behavior.

Ljudska prava i interspolne osobe

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Bosnian

Binarne klasifikacije spola i roda sveprisutne su u našem društvu i utiču na to kako razumijevamo i organiziramo svijet oko nas. Klasifikacija čovječanstva u dvije kategorije – Ž (žensko) i M (muško) – kao i njihova utemeljenost u identifikacijskim dokumentima izlaže kršenju ljudskih prava osobe koje se ne uklapaju u potpunosti u te dvije kategorije. Među njima su interspolne osobe posebno ranjive. Stereotipi koji se vezuju za navodnu dihotomiju roda, kao i za medicinske norme takozvanih ženskih i muških tijela, omogućili su prakticiranje rutinskih medicinskih i hirurških intervencija na interspolnim osobama, čak i kada su takve intervencije kozmetičke, a ne medicinski potrebne ili u slučajevima kada o njima dotične osobe nisu konsultirane niti informirane.Tajnovitost i stid koji se vezuju za interspolna tijela omogućili su da se te prakse odvijaju decenijama, dok se istovremeno problematika ljudskih prava uglavnom nije ni razmatrala. Evropsko društvo do dana današnjeg ostaje u velikoj mjeri nesvjesno stvarnosti koju žive interspolne osobe. Ipak, kroz pionirski rad sve većeg broja interspolnih grupa i pojedinačnih aktivistkinja i aktivista, ljudskopravaške zajednice i međunarodne organizacije postaju sve više svjesne ove situacije i nastoje se suočiti s tom problematikom pozivajući se na standarde ljudskih prava. U maju 2014. godine, Komesar za ljudska prava objavio je Komentar na ljudska prava pod nazivom “Dječak ili djevojčica ili osoba – interspolne osobe nepriznate u Evropi”, u kojem su naglašeni problemi u vezi sa ljudskim pravima s kojima se suočavaju interspolne osobe. Ova tematska publikacija daje detaljnije upute i sadrži preporuke Komesara u cilju rješavanja ove problematike. Publikacija ima svrhu da informira vlasti i praktičare o trenutnim etičkim razmatranjima i ljudskim pravima u ovom smislu, kao i o najboljim globalnim praksama. Prije izrade ovog dokumenta, obavljene su konsultacije sa aktivistkinjama i aktivistima za interspolna prava i medicinskim stručnjacima i stručnjakinjama. Poduzeto je već nekoliko pozitivnih koraka ka razumijevanju situacije u kojoj se nalaze interspolne osobe i u reagiranju na njihove probleme. Nedavno usvajanje međuresorne izjave Ujedinjenih nacija (UN) o sterilizaciji koja tretira i kršenje tjelesnog integriteta interspolnih osoba predstavlja prekretnicu u kombiniranju medicinskog i ljudskopravaškog pristupa. Objavljivanjem izvještaja o interspolnim osobama koji su pripremila nacionalna vijeća za medicinsku etiku povećana je svijest o problemima sa kojima se te osobe suočavaju. Poduzete su i korisne inicijative za zaštitu interspolnih osoba od diskriminacije kroz reforme zakonodavstva koje se odnosi na jednako postupanje. Postoji urgentna potreba za daljnjim napretkom da bi se poboljšala situacija po pitanju ostvarivanja ljudskih prava interspolnih osoba. Ova tematska publikacija ima cilj da potakne razvoj okvira djelovanja sugerirajući dvotračni pristup. S jedne strane, poziva zemlje članice da ukinu medicinski nepotreban tretman “normalizacije” interspolnih osoba kada se on provodi ili propisuje bez slobodnog i potpuno informiranog pristanka dotične osobe. S druge strane, publikacija predstavlja moguće naredne korake u smislu zaštite interspolnih osoba od diskriminacije, adekvatnog priznavanja njihovog spola u zvaničnim dokumentima i pristupa pravdi.

Ljudska prava i interspolne osobe

Author(s): / Language(s): Bosnian

Binarne klasifikacije spola i roda sveprisutne su u našem društvu i utiču na to kako razumijevamo i organiziramo svijet oko nas. Klasifikacija čovječanstva u dvije kategorije – Ž (žensko) i M (muško) – kao i njihova utemeljenost u identifikacijskim dokumentima izlaže kršenju ljudskih prava osobe koje se ne uklapaju u potpunosti u te dvije kategorije. Među njima su interspolne osobe posebno ranjive. Stereotipi koji se vezuju za navodnu dihotomiju roda, kao i za medicinske norme takozvanih ženskih i muških tijela, omogućili su prakticiranje rutinskih medicinskih i hirurških intervencija na interspolnim osobama, čak i kada su takve intervencije kozmetičke, a ne medicinski potrebne ili u slučajevima kada o njima dotične osobe nisu konsultirane niti informirane.Tajnovitost i stid koji se vezuju za interspolna tijela omogućili su da se te prakse odvijaju decenijama, dok se istovremeno problematika ljudskih prava uglavnom nije ni razmatrala. Evropsko društvo do dana današnjeg ostaje u velikoj mjeri nesvjesno stvarnosti koju žive interspolne osobe. Ipak, kroz pionirski rad sve većeg broja interspolnih grupa i pojedinačnih aktivistkinja i aktivista, ljudskopravaške zajednice i međunarodne organizacije postaju sve više svjesne ove situacije i nastoje se suočiti s tom problematikom pozivajući se na standarde ljudskih prava. U maju 2014. godine, Komesar za ljudska prava objavio je Komentar na ljudska prava pod nazivom “Dječak ili djevojčica ili osoba – interspolne osobe nepriznate u Evropi”, u kojem su naglašeni problemi u vezi sa ljudskim pravima s kojima se suočavaju interspolne osobe. Ova tematska publikacija daje detaljnije upute i sadrži preporuke Komesara u cilju rješavanja ove problematike. Publikacija ima svrhu da informira vlasti i praktičare o trenutnim etičkim razmatranjima i ljudskim pravima u ovom smislu, kao i o najboljim globalnim praksama. Prije izrade ovog dokumenta, obavljene su konsultacije sa aktivistkinjama i aktivistima za interspolna prava i medicinskim stručnjacima i stručnjakinjama. Poduzeto je već nekoliko pozitivnih koraka ka razumijevanju situacije u kojoj se nalaze interspolne osobe i u reagiranju na njihove probleme. Nedavno usvajanje međuresorne izjave Ujedinjenih nacija (UN) o sterilizaciji koja tretira i kršenje tjelesnog integriteta interspolnih osoba predstavlja prekretnicu u kombiniranju medicinskog i ljudskopravaškog pristupa. Objavljivanjem izvještaja o interspolnim osobama koji su pripremila nacionalna vijeća za medicinsku etiku povećana je svijest o problemima sa kojima se te osobe suočavaju. Poduzete su i korisne inicijative za zaštitu interspolnih osoba od diskriminacije kroz reforme zakonodavstva koje se odnosi na jednako postupanje. Postoji urgentna potreba za daljnjim napretkom da bi se poboljšala situacija po pitanju ostvarivanja ljudskih prava interspolnih osoba. Ova tematska publikacija ima cilj da potakne razvoj okvira djelovanja sugerirajući dvotračni pristup. S jedne strane, poziva zemlje članice da ukinu medicinski nepotreban tretman “normalizacije” interspolnih osoba kada se on provodi ili propisuje bez slobodnog i potpuno informiranog pristanka dotične osobe. S druge strane, publikacija predstavlja moguće naredne korake u smislu zaštite interspolnih osoba od diskriminacije, adekvatnog priznavanja njihovog spola u zvaničnim dokumentima i pristupa pravdi.

Ljudska prava ne poznaju političku ideologiju! Političke stranke i prava lezbejki, gejeva, biseksualnih i transrodnih osoba

Author(s): Edita Miftari / Language(s): Bosnian

Višegodišnji rad na zagovaranju prava lezbejki, gej muškaraca, biseksualnih i transrodnih osoba u Bosni i Hercegovini, jednoj od najkomplikovanijih država Evrope, naučio nas je jednoj stvari: bez značajnije podrške političkih stranaka stanje ljudskih prava LGBT osoba neće se popraviti. Upravo kako bi se odnosi između organizacija civilnog društva i političkih stranaka intenzivirali, odlučili smo da izradimo ovaj vodič. Nadamo se da ćemo na ovaj način doprinijeti jačanju veza i kreiranju novih saradnji, te uklanjanju nekih nepotrebnih strahova.

Mapa ženskih prava u Bosni i Hercegovini

Author(s): Fedra Idžaković / Language(s): Bosnian

Publikacija “Mapa ženskih prava u Bosni i Hercegovini” nastala je u okviru projekta “Unapređenje ženskih prava kroz jačanje Ženske mreže BiH” koji cilja na osnaživanje djelovanja Ženske mreže BiH, a koji provode Fondacija CURE i Sarajevski otvoreni centar, uz finansijsku podršku Ambasade Kraljevine Norveške. Ženska mreža BiH je neformalna grupa organizacija civilnog društva i pojedinki koje zastupaju i bave se ženskim pravima i podsticanjem rodne ravnopravnosti.

Mapiranje i analiza pravnih propisa i praksi o promjeni oznake spola u dokumentima

Author(s): Nedim Seferović / Language(s): Bosnian

When we think about a certain phenomenon and attempt to value ourselves in relation to it, we often fall into the trap of self-evidence. Certain terms and phenomena appear self-evident to us, to the point where we accept them without question. This trap of self-evidence is especially pronounced when it comes to gender and sex. The awareness of these issues is reflected in the fact that socially, historically and culturally conditioned stratification of the individuals’ gender roles equates them with their sex. By knowing the sex determination of an individual we meet, come across or see, observed on a binary scale where there are only two (anti)podes - male or female, we believe that we know the gender, and thus the socially imposed gender role. As a collective, we define how a man, a woman, a boy, or a girl should behave based on these gender roles. We define their emotional characteristics, men’s and women’s appearance, manners and behaviour on various occasions based on these roles, often noticing only comparative differences between them. The deep-rooted recognition of these differences in the male-female dichotomy is frequently an impediment to accepting the possibility that these differences are sometimes interconnected, varied, and subject to change beyond sex conditioning. Overstepping these roles is perceived as excess, as a foreign, unknown, and thus unacceptable phenomenon. The reality, however, tells us otherwise. Observing gender and gender roles in such a simplified manner is unfounded and does not relate to the fact on which reality is constructed. In reality, gender roles are subject to change, interpretation, and different understandings rather than being immutable and assigned by external sources. There is a wide spectrum of gender identities between “man” and “woman”, all of which are as real and essential as they are, and which are a trait of a specific individual that deserves nothing less than acceptance and respect. Transgender persons express and experience their gender identity in a way that differs from traditionally conditioned ways. These individuals (self) identify as men, women, neither, both, or otherwise, and this identification is not based on their biologically assigned sex. Because of the disparity between biological sexual characteristics and their own gender perception, they feel the need to define their identity outside of the ascribed characteristics that gender brings. In some cases, such a definition of one’s own identity implies certain adjustments in terms of personal data. To define their identity in accordance with their feelings, a transgender person may be forced (or may desire) to alter (or change) their sex or name data through administrative procedures. Transgender persons in this segment, as in many others, often face prejudice, discrimination and non-acceptance. This negative attitude against transgender persons and their efforts to express their own gender and sex outside of conventionally and socially accepted patterns results in the denial of the possibility of their own conception of private and personal personality elements. It is, therefore, necessary to keep in mind that the question of gender and sex is ultimately a question of personality and, as such, is exclusively personal. When it comes to characteristics that are truly one’s own and not social, and to which these persons as individuals have a full right, which cannot be limited or denied by any arbitrariness that would stem from a sphere of fear of the unconventional, social constructs should not take precedence over any person’s right to self-determination. On the other hand, society has a positive commitment to transgender persons and any other person, to enable them (whether transgender or not) to enjoy the full spectrum of rights guaranteed by positive regulations and basic norms of civilization. This publication was prepared with the primary objective of providing basic information to public administration officers regarding the implementation of currently valid laws and bylaws in support of transgender persons’ rights and equality. Its goal is to serve as a resource for public administration officers to get more familiar with relevant legal solutions and best practices, which will be used in their work in cases of sex marker change in personal documents. Furthermore, the Handbook aims to improve the knowledge and capacity of BiH public administration representatives by providing clear guidelines and an effective model of legal recognition of gender identity, allowing them to perform best practices in terms of respecting the rights of transgender persons in sex reassignment procedures, with reference to good practices from the region and Europe.

Mapping and Analysis of Regulations and Practices on Sex Marker Change in Personal Documents

Author(s): Nedim Seferović / Language(s): English

When we think about a certain phenomenon and attempt to value ourselves in relation to it, we often fall into the trap of self-evidence. Certain terms and phenomena appear self-evident to us, to the point where we accept them without question. This trap of self-evidence is especially pronounced when it comes to gender and sex. The awareness of these issues is reflected in the fact that socially, historically and culturally conditioned stratification of the individuals’ gender roles equates them with their sex. By knowing the sex determination of an individual we meet, come across or see, observed on a binary scale where there are only two (anti)podes - male or female, we believe that we know the gender, and thus the socially imposed gender role. As a collective, we define how a man, a woman, a boy, or a girl should behave based on these gender roles. We define their emotional characteristics, men’s and women’s appearance, manners and behaviour on various occasions based on these roles, often noticing only comparative differences between them. The deep-rooted recognition of these differences in the male-female dichotomy is frequently an impediment to accepting the possibility that these differences are sometimes interconnected, varied, and subject to change beyond sex conditioning. Overstepping these roles is perceived as excess, as a foreign, unknown, and thus unacceptable phenomenon. The reality, however, tells us otherwise. Observing gender and gender roles in such a simplified manner is unfounded and does not relate to the fact on which reality is constructed. In reality, gender roles are subject to change, interpretation, and different understandings rather than being immutable and assigned by external sources. There is a wide spectrum of gender identities between “man” and “woman”, all of which are as real and essential as they are, and which are a trait of a specific individual that deserves nothing less than acceptance and respect. Transgender persons express and experience their gender identity in a way that differs from traditionally conditioned ways. These individuals (self) identify as men, women, neither, both, or otherwise, and this identification is not based on their biologically assigned sex. Because of the disparity between biological sexual characteristics and their own gender perception, they feel the need to define their identity outside of the ascribed characteristics that gender brings. In some cases, such a definition of one’s own identity implies certain adjustments in terms of personal data. To define their identity in accordance with their feelings, a transgender person may be forced (or may desire) to alter (or change) their sex or name data through administrative procedures. Transgender persons in this segment, as in many others, often face prejudice, discrimination and non-acceptance. This negative attitude against transgender persons and their efforts to express their own gender and sex outside of conventionally and socially accepted patterns results in the denial of the possibility of their own conception of private and personal personality elements. It is, therefore, necessary to keep in mind that the question of gender and sex is ultimately a question of personality and, as such, is exclusively personal. When it comes to characteristics that are truly one’s own and not social, and to which these persons as individuals have a full right, which cannot be limited or denied by any arbitrariness that would stem from a sphere of fear of the unconventional, social constructs should not take precedence over any person’s right to self-determination. On the other hand, society has a positive commitment to transgender persons and any other person, to enable them (whether transgender or not) to enjoy the full spectrum of rights guaranteed by positive regulations and basic norms of civilization. This publication was prepared with the primary objective of providing basic information to public administration officers regarding the implementation of currently valid laws and bylaws in support of transgender persons’ rights and equality. Its goal is to serve as a resource for public administration officers to get more familiar with relevant legal solutions and best practices, which will be used in their work in cases of sex marker change in personal documents. Furthermore, the Handbook aims to improve the knowledge and capacity of BiH public administration representatives by providing clear guidelines and an effective model of legal recognition of gender identity, allowing them to perform best practices in terms of respecting the rights of transgender persons in sex reassignment procedures, with reference to good practices from the region and Europe.

MEDICINSKI ASPEKTI PRILAGODBE SPOLA - PRIRUČNIK ZA MEDICINSKE STRUČNJAKE_INJE I ZDRAVSTVENE RADNIKE_CE O PRUŽANJU USLUGA I PODRŠKE TRANS OSOBAMA U PROCESU TRANZICIJE

Author(s): / Language(s): Bosnian,English,Croatian

U Bosni i Hercegovini su priznavanje, uživanje, pristup pravima i zaštita ljudskih prava transrodnih osoba na izrazito niskom nivou. Uprkos postojećem kvalitetnom pravnom okviru, ljudska prava transrodnih osoba svakodnevno se krše, pogotovo u domenu pristupa zdravstvenoj zaštiti i adekvatnim zdravstvenim uslugama koje su im potrebne. Zakon o zabrani diskriminacije BiH je dopunjen i izmijenjen 2016. godine, u dijelu osnova na kojima je zabranjena diskriminacija te je i rodni identitet, pored seksualne orijentacije i spolnih karakteristika, izričito postavljen kao jedna od zaštićenih osnova, ali kako se ovaj zakon ne poštuje u praksi, transrodne osobe izložene su sistemskoj diskriminaciji i socijalnoj ekskluziji.

Monitoring the Implementation of the Council of Europe Committee of Ministers Recommendation on Combating SOGI Discrimination

Author(s): Mariña Barreiro,Vladana Vasić / Language(s): English

The only measure taken by Bosnian-Herzegovinian authorities in compliance with the Recommendation CM/Rec(2010)5 is the inclusion of sexual orientation and sexual expression in anti-discrimination legislation. However, in the absence of other measures, and in the face of severe social hostility, it offers little protection to lesbian, gay, and bisexual persons. So far as the Sarajevo Open Centre has been able to ascertain, the authorities have adopted no other measures to implement the requirements of the aforementioned Recommendation. In particular, there has been no review of existing legislative and other measures that could result directly or indirectly in discrimination, no provision for protection from discrimination on grounds of gender identity, and no introduction of a comprehensive strategy aimed at tackling discriminatory attitudes within the general public and correcting prejudices and stereotypes. The Recommendation and its Appendix have not been translated, and have not been disseminated either within government or civil society. A bias motive based on sexual orientation (but not gender identity) is included as an aggravating circumstance in the criminal codes of the Republic of Srpska and Brcko District, but not in that of the Federation of BiH. There appears to be no specific training for police officers and judiciary in relation to homophobic or transphobic hate crimes, nor for prison officers in relation to LGBT prisoners. There is no collection of data in this field. There are no laws prohibiting “hate speech” or incitement to hatred on grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity (including on the Internet) Although freedom of expression and assembly exist in theory for LGBT people, the violence at the time of the Queer Sarajevo Festival, and the failure of authorities to provide protection, demonstrate that the reality at that time was very different. How far things have improved will only be tested when the LGBT community gains the confidence to try to exercise freedom of expression and assembly fully again. Same-sex sexual acts are not criminalised. No steps have been taken to remove discrimination in access to rights of couples and parenting. Once gender reassignment is completed, the individual can apply for changes to the gender marker in all official documents including, as a first stage, the identification number. Therefore at least one abusive requirement, that of gender reassignment surgery, exists. The Labour Law of the Brcko District and Labour Law of the institutions of BiH prohibits sexual orientation discrimination, but equivalent legislation in the Republic of Srpska and the Federation of BiH does not. It appears that none of the other measures proposed by the Recommendation have been taken, including in relation to the armed forces, and the privacy of transgender persons. The BiH Anti-Discrimination Law, and some legal instruments at entity level, specifically prohibit sexual orientation discrimination in education, but it does not specifically include gender identity discrimination. It appears that no other measures proposed by the Recommendation have been acted on. A study of school textbooks found that some still define homosexuality as an illness and include it group of disorders such as paedophilia and drug addiction. Homosexuality is no longer classified as a disease, HIV/AIDS prevention programme includes LGBT people, and there is nothing in principle that would prevent LGBT persons identifying their partner as “next of kin”. However, it seems that other measures proposed by the Recommendation have not been carried out. The BiH Anti-Discrimination Law prohibits discrimination in the field of housing on grounds of sexual orientation, but it does not specifically include gender identity. Apart from this, there is little suggests that any steps have been taken to address the other measures proposed by the Recommendation None of the specific measures proposed by the Recommendation have been implemented in the field of measures to prevent discrimination in the field of sports. BiH law does not explicitly recognise sexual orientation or gender identity in the context of asylum. No action has been taken in relation to the measures proposed by the Recommendation. The mandate of the Ombudsman for Human Rights explicitly includes sexual orientation but not gender identity. However, the Ombudsman has included gender identity in the work of the/ Office, and has, within the limits of his resources, conducted some activities along the lines proposed by the Recommendation. However, due to lack of resources, the Ombudsman’s office does not carry out extensive public campaigns in order to promote anti-discrimination on grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.

Ne toleriši netoleranciju. Upoznaj svoja prava i koristi ih. Vodič za LGBT osobe.

Author(s): Vladana Vasić,Sadžida Tulić / Language(s): Bosnian

Priručnik o pravima LGBT osoba pod nazivom Ne toleriši netoleranciju predstavlja nastavak rada Sarajevskog otvorenog centra u oblasti afirmacije prava osoba koje pripadaju seksualnim i rodnim manjinama i samo je jedan dio u mozaiku aktivnosti koje realizira: od pravnih analiza, izvještavanja o stanju ljudskih prava LGBT osoba u Bosni i Hercegovini, pravnog savjetovanja, lobiranja za promjenu pravnih propisa i praksi, edukacije za državne organe i LGBT osobe, do prevoda relevantne literature koja tematizuje LGBT prava te rodne i queer teorije. Za realizaciju aktivnosti u oblasti pravnog savjetovanja za LGBT osobe, jedan ovakav priručnik činio se neophodnim kako bi se ostvario cilj pružanja pravne pomoći na jedan sveobuhvatan način. Priručnik je prije svega namijenjen LGBT osobama, ali je pravni dio koncipiran na takav način da ga čini korisnim i za sve druge osobe koje žele da ostvare zaštitu prava u slučaju njihovog kršenja. Ovo vrijedno štivo rezultat je rada dvije mlade i talentovane pravnice Vladane Vasić i Sadžide Vasić koje su uložile veliki napor da na jednostavan i lako razumljiv način prikažu put ostvarivanja prava za osobe koje nužno nisu stručno obrazovane da bi shvatile kompleksnost pravnog sistema. Imajući u vidu složenost pravnog sistema Bosne i Hercegovine, teško je na shvatljiv način opisati put ostvarivanja prava a da se ne izgubi suština i smisao kroz simplifikaciju. Ovaj priručnik ne ostaje samo u okvirima bosanskohercegovačkog prava, već uzima u razmatranje i međunarodne pravne standarde koji su primjenjuju u našoj zemlji što ga čini vrijednijim i sadržajnijim. Također, u priručniku se daje i pregled LGBT terminologije i njezinog značenja. Terminološka određenja su bitna za pravilnu edukaciju o pojmovima koji se koriste u LGBT literaturi, ali i činjenice da nisu definisani pojmovi seksualne orijentacije i rodnog identiteta koji se javljaju u Zakonu o zabrani diskriminacije i drugim pravnim propisima, te se ovim čini prijedlog jednog mogućeg značenja u budućoj pravnoj praksi pred sudovima i drugim organima. Iako se radi o mladim autoricama koje su radile na priručniku, one su pokazale visok nivo stručnosti i poznavanja pravne terminologije i propisa. Iskreno vjerujem da će priručnik naći put ka svojim korisnicima_cama te pomoći u korištenju pravnih mehanizama koji stoje na raspolaganju te borbi u prijavljivanju i uklanjanju diskriminacije koje se javlja prema seksualnim i rodnim manjinama u Bosni i Hercegovini.

Numbers of Equality 2 - Research on Problems and Needs of LGBTI Persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2017 - Analysis of Findings

Author(s): Amar Numanović / Language(s): English

(English edition) Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) has done a very poor job in protecting and ensuring the rights and freedoms of LGBTI (lesbians, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) persons. That much is confirmed in the annual report of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association (ILGA-Europe) published in 2017 (Rainbow Europe Index 2017), that assigns the institutional and legal framework of BiH with a 31% ranking on scale of 0% (gross violations of human rights) to 100% (full respect of human rights). As for countries from the region, Croatia (62%), Montenegro (39%) and Albania (33%) all have a higher ranking, while Serbia (30%), Kosovo (30%) and Macedonia (16%)1 scored lower than BiH.

Numbers of life

Analysis of the results of the research on needs of LGBT community in Bosnia-Herzegovina

Author(s): Jasmina Čaušević / Language(s): English

Between February and June 2013, Sarajevo Open Centre conducted research about the rights, needs and problems of the LGBT community in BiH. The initial aim of this research was to map the real problems and to assess the particular needs of LGBT persons in BiH. The results will enable defining precise and clear arguments that could be used in future problem solving, through concrete activities, such as advocacy, education, meetings and similar, with institutions which are proven to act in discriminative manner against LGBT persons, by not performing their activities in accordance with ethics or through not intercepting the policy of selective human rights defending. An interdisciplinary theoretical approach is necessary for developing several perspectives that will highlight the complexity of sociological phenomena and create space for allocation of particular context of Bosnia and Herzegovina into a broad theoretical framework. By using questionnaires, we have explored how persons of non heteronormative gender and sex identity and sexual orientation, live in Bosnia and Herzegovina – which persons from their surroundings are aware of their LGBT identities and whether they support them, their experiences of discrimination and violence, how they handled these human rights violations, how did society and the legal system react, their opinions on Gay Pride Parade, their confidence in the police, whether their mental health suffers due to fear and homophobia they are exposed to because of their sexuality or gender identity, and how health workers relate to them. Likewise, we have inquired about the attitudes of LGBT persons on their social needs, their opinion about the LGBT community itself, on activities of Sarajevo Open Centre, and political participation. Data that was gathered through the research was processed in SPSS statistical software. A descriptive analysis was written in accordance with the statistical inquiry and is based on an interdisciplinary approach to areas and topics that is dealing with. First of all, it was important for us to use the analyses to interpret the issues that we have defined as our objectives. These analyses will serve as a platform for further advocacy, towards governmental and other institutions – police, health care, responsible ministries, judiciary and so forth – for changes that LGBT persons will benefit from. The research encompassed 545 persons ranging in age from 54 to 15. There were 275 persons of female sex and 246 of male sex, 14 intersexual and 9 transgender persons and 1 person who did not want to define itself according to sex. Out of these figures, 252 persons identified themselves through female gender, 235 through male, 9 persons was identified as transgender, while 42 of them does not identify themselves through gender and 7 persons have their own self creation of gender. When it comes to sexual orientation, there are 338 persons who are homosexuals, 151 bisexual, 25 pan sexual, 7 persons declared themselves as asexual, 9 as heterosexual, while 15 examinees identified as ‘other’ and added their own definition of their sexuality. Concerning the significant number of trans and intersex persons who have participated in the research, one chapter is particularly dedicated to them. The question related to which persons from their surroundings are aware of their LGBT identity has shown that for 90, 4 % of LGBT persons, their friends do know and the majority is supportive – out of the overall number, 89, 2 % of friends support their LGBT friends. Likewise, colleagues from work place/school/college are more familiar with the fact that a person is LGBT than their family members. Namely, for 46, 4 %, their work/school/college surroundings know that they are LGBT and two third of them (66, 6 %) gains their support. Sister/s know about her brother/sister/s being LGBT in 44, 7 % of cases and 86, 7 % of them is supportive, which makes them a group that is, after friends, the most supportive one. Mother/guardian is in the fourth place and for 40, 7 % of LGBT persons; she is familiar with their LGBT identity, but only 61 % of examinees have the support from their mother/ guardian. Brother/s are familiar with it in 37, 5 % of cases and majority is supportive – 75, 9 %. Acquaintances of LGBT persons are in 36, 8 % of cases familiar with their identities and most of them are supportive (67 %). Father/guardian is familiar with sexual orientation or gender identity of every fifth person (22, 7 %) and less than half of them supports their children (41, 8 %), which makes them the least supportive group among the close family members. For 15, 2 % of examinees, their broader family is familiar with their LGBT identity and supportive in 65, 7 % of cases. The question of whether one has experienced any form of discrimination because he/she is an LGBT person was answered positively by 35, 8 % of examinees and negatively by 63, 1 %. It is clear that persons who are not out to the broader public – at the workplace, college, to their acquaintance etc. – cannot be discriminated against due to their sexual orientation. This research shows that colleagues from work, school or college in 40,7 % of cases are aware that their colleague is an LGBT person but almost half of them are not supportive. Likewise, for every third person their acquaintances know his or her sexual orientation. All this together fits into an image that a little over one-third of LGBT persons are out to their broader surroundings and in accordance with that, discrimination is experienced only by every third LGBT person. Discrimination is not reported in 93, 8 % of cases. Only 3 cases of discrimination were prosecuted and one was completed successfully, while another 23 have never been prosecuted. Because of their gender expression or sexual identity, 23, 5 % of persons have experienced violence, while 74, 2 % of them have never been victims of violence. Physical violence was experienced by every third person, and sexual violence by almost every fifth person. Victims of violence are almost always persons who are out. 130 persons have suffered through violence, and only 17 of them have reported it, while 3 cases have been prosecuted in court and 2 cases are still ongoing. If we consider the fact that only 3 cases out of 17 that have been reported and prosecuted in court, while 2 other are still ongoing, it is nothing unusual that LGBT persons are not confident towards the institutions that are supposed to protect them. 23, 1 % of examinees have confidence in the police, while 73, 6 % does not have. Every third person who, due to the consequences of homophobia, suffers from depression, fear, anxiety, affliction or any other symptoms, is determined to seek for professional psychological, psychiatrists or therapeutics help because of assumed incompetence of persons one would approach to, and because of the fear that their sexuality will be uncovered. Almost 70 % of examinees have declared a lack of support from family and friends as the biggest issue. Although 82, 5 % of LGBT persons do not have to hide their gender identity and sexual orientation in front of their friends, it is obvious that the majority does not receive the desired emotional, psychological and social support. On the other hand, as the question related to support has shown (chart 10) – family is also not supportive, so the severity of this information is only being confirmed through questions on the biggest issues. Almost as big is the problem of physical violence (attacks, property wreckage and similar) – 68, 9 % of persons have marked it as the biggest issue. Psychological/verbal violence was marked as a problem by almost the same number of persons – 68, 7 %. When the issue of violence, whether physical or psychological, is associated with the failure of institutions that are supposed to punish those who commit it, the issue of processing and punishing violence is considered an urgent one, which needs to be resolved. Discrimination at the workplace, at school or at college is one of the biggest problems for 62.6% of examinees, which places the problem of discrimination on almost the same level with violence. The lack of state institutions’ support programs was described by 66, 4 % of examinees. Police, judiciary or certain areas of health system do not provide their services professionally, due to the lack of knowledge related to LGBT issues and to the high level of homophobia. The objective of examining the level of active and passive political participation of LGBT persons was to highlight the fact (which implies, but is not considered relevant, and even less is seen as a certain political potential) that LGBT persons are also voters in the elections (more than half of examined LGBT persons exercises their right to vote), that they are also members of political parties in BiH (62 persons are members of parties), and that they run for elections and have certain political results (13 out of 62 persons have been candidates on elections and have had certain results). Based on the analyses of collected statistical data and additional comments that examinees have emphasized, we have produced general conclusions and recommendations for certain sectors – some areas of the health system, police, but also civil society – since it was shown that they are not providing their services professionally, while we have tackled reasons and solutions of this situation in separate recommendations.

Od podrške do prihvatanja - Priručnik za inkluzivnu psihološku, psihoterapijsku i druge vidove sveobuhvatne podrške LGBTI osobama

Author(s): Zvjezdana Savić,Marija Šarić,Vladana Vasić / Language(s): Bosnian

U Bosni i Hercegovini još uvijek nije pogodna društvena klima u kojoj su LGBTI osobe ohrabrene i podržane u pristupu uslugama brige o mentalnom zdravlju u okviru zdravstvenog i sistema socijalne zaštite koji bi pružali inkluzivne i senzibilizirane usluge. Ovu činjenicu adekvatno oslikava istraživanje potreba i problema LGBTI osoba u Bosni i Hercegovini1 koje je proveo Sarajevski otvoreni centar 2017. godine, a koje je otkrilo da oblici isključujućih i nasilnih interakcija prema LGBTI osobama uzrokuju ozbiljne psihološke poteškoće ili krize. Naime, više od polovice LGBTI ispitanika_ca smatra da je imalo psihološke poteškoće ili krize zbog društvenog tretmana. Stres, odnosno epizode stresa, stanje je koje doživljava čak 87,7% ispitanika_ca od onih koji_e navode psihološke poteškoće. Što se tiče ozbiljnijih psiholoških poteškoća, depresije ili epizoda depresije, smatra se da ih je 70,9% ispitanika_ca doživjelo, dok je 64% ispitanika_ca koji_e su prošli_e psihološke poteškoće zbog odnosa društva prema svom identitetu doživjelo anksioznost i napade panike. Čak 38,4% ispitanika_ca imalo je suicidalne misli i/ili pokušaje samoubojstva. Ni poremećaji prehrane nisu beznačajno stanje, a gotovo trećina ispitanika_ca ih je doživjela. Međutim, ono što je istraživanje pokazalo jeste da LGBTI osobe nerado traže stručnu psihološku podršku zbog nedostatka povjerenja u postojeće službe i straha od autovanja. Kao neke od glavnih razloga zašto ne traže stručnu pomoć navode strah od otkrivanja svog LGBTI identiteta, sumnju da im ova usluga pomaže, nedovoljne kompetencije i senzibilnost, kao i nedostatak finansijskih sredstava za osiguranje usluga stručne pomoći. Neizvjesna je i dostupnost i pristup psihosocijalnim i uslugama vršnjačkog savjetovanja. LGBTI osobe izvan Sarajeva imaju ograničen pristup senzibiliziranoj i prilagođenoj psihosocijalnoj podršci za rješavanje ozbiljnih posljedica koje donosi diskriminacija na osnovu seksualne orijentacije/rodnog identiteta/spolnih karakteristika, kao što su teška depresija i anksioznost, suicidalne misli, ozbiljna ugrožavanja punog učešća u društvenom životu, posebno u obrazovanju i na radnom mjestu. S druge strane, trenutno postoje samo dvije organizacije u cijeloj BiH, obje smještene u Sarajevu, koje pružaju kontinuiranu senzibiliziranu i stručnu vršnjačku i psihosocijalnu podršku LGBTI osobama besplatno2 . Druge organizacije ili nisu senzibilizirane ili nemaju potreban doseg, resurse, iskustvo i priznanje unutar LGBTI zajednice. provode projekat pod nazivom „Regionalizacija LGBTI inkluzivne psihosocijalne podrške i pristupa uslugama mentalnog zdravlja u Bosni i Hercegovini“, koji finansira Evropska unija. Projekat ima za cilj stvoriti okruženje u kojem će LGBTI osobe biti ohrabrene i podržane u pristupu sistemima mentalnog zdravlja koji pružaju inkluzivne i senzibilizirane usluge, te ojačati i proširiti institucionalnu mrežu (centri za mentalno zdravlje i centri za socijalni rad) i mrežu organizacija civilnog društva iz Tuzle, Mostara, Zenice, Prijedora, Banjaluke, Bijeljine i Doboja koje pružaju psihosocijalnu podršku za LGBTI osobe u BiH. S druge strane, projekat teži jačanju LGBTI zajednice i njihovom osnaživanju u pogledu očuvanja blagostanja i brige za vlastito mentalno zdravlje – kako na adekvatne i pristupačne načine da koriste postojeće usluge psihosocijalne podrške. U svemu tome cilj jeste podići i svijest javnosti o efektima tzv. manjinskog stresa na mentalno zdravlje LGBTI zajednice. Upravo zbog edukacije, osnaživanja i osiguranja dodatnih resursa primarno za stručnjake_inje iz oblasti mentalnog zdravlja i socijalne zaštite, ali i LGBTI osobe i njihove obitelji, kreiramo priručnik koji je pred vama. Priručnik smo podijelili na dva dijela: prvi koji daje pregled ljudskih prava i sloboda LGBTI osoba u Bosni i Hercegovini, i iz pravno-aktivističke perspektive nudi korake za postupanje sa LGBTI osobama, stvaranje sigurnog okruženja od predrasuda, diskriminacije i nasilja, posebno u slučajevima nasilja u obitelji i vršnjačkog nasilja; drugi koji nudi stručne smjernice za sveobuhvatnu psihoterapijsku, psihološku i druge vidove specifične podrške LGBTI osobama i njihovim raznolikim identitetima, u potrazi za načinima kako se nositi sa poteškoćama i izazovima sa kojima se susreću u društvu. Želimo da ova publikacija bude koristan i vrijedan alat za jačanje kapaciteta i dodatno obučavanje specijaliziranih ustanova za mentalno zdravlje i socijalnu zaštitu te organizacija civilnog društva koje pružaju ove usluge. Budući da je zaštita mentalnog zdravlja okružena stigmom i predrasudama, neophodno je podići svijest LGBTI zajednice, stručne i šire javnosti o važnosti održavanja vlastitog blagostanja, brige o mentalnom zdravlju i traženja podrške pružatelja usluga. U tom smislu se nadamo da će priručnik doprinijeti uspostavljanju održivog sistema pružanja psihosocijalne podrške LGBTI osobama od organizacija civilnog društva, javnih ustanova i na mjestima na kojima do sada nije bio dostupan.

Pink report. Annual report on human rights of LGBT persons in 2012 in B&H

Author(s): Mariña Barreiro,Vladana Vasić,Saša Gavrić / Language(s): English

Authorities in BiH are not really aware that LGBT persons are a part of society and consider their rights inferior to the rights of other groups. This kind of attitude is mostly explained by the low number of visible LGBT persons, and the common consideration that this (meaning homosexuality) or them (meaning LGBT persons) do not exist in BiH. When discussing LGBT rights, most institutions in BiH assume that the prohibition of discrimination regulated by the Anti-discrimination Law in BiH is enough to enable the protection and equality of LGBT persons with other citizens of BiH, and are not sensible enough to notice or deal with other issues that LGBT persons face daily in BiH. Throughout 2012, as LGBT topics have become more visible in BiH through the media coverage, which is still mostly sensational and shocking in order to attract the viewers, and through the work of organisations working on LGBT human rights and activists, hate speech and hate crimes aimed at LGBT people have become more evident as well. The increased visibility of LGBT activism in 2012 was followed by hate speech on web portals, which became even more severe and threatening. In all the cases presented in this report, the response of the authorities was either non-existent or insufficient, and in some of the cases the perpetrators of the incidents were officials. Authorities consistently fail or refuse to condemn the hate speech and intolerance aimed at LGBT persons or to sanction the perpetrators, which leads to the lack of trust of LGBT persons have in governmental institutions. This lack of trust results in LGBT persons not reporting more serious incidents and cases such as discrimination and hate crimes. The first step to better recognition and protection of the rights of LGBT persons is the harmonisation of existing legislation with the Anti-discrimination law of BiH. This was supposed to be done by 2010, but has not yet been completed. Other changes to legislation, such as the introduction of hate crimes and proper prohibition of hate speech, should be included in the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH, in order to promote and enhance the protection of the rights of LGBT persons, as well as all individuals and minority groups in BiH. Authorities should also be aware that legislation itself is not enough to prevent the violation of human rights of LGBT persons and that they must enforce these laws and regulations. The authorities should also organise mandatory trainings and education for all public officials and personnel, such as police officers and public administration employees.

Political Parties and the Human Rights of LGBT People: Monitoring of the General Election 2014

Author(s): Darko Pandurević,Emina Bošnjak,Naida Kučukalić / Language(s): English

During the election campaign for the 2014 general election there have been very few promises made in regards to human rights. The entire field of respect and protection of the human rights was either ignored or overshadowed by the ethno-national slogans and nationalist rhetoric. The parties, as expected, devoted the maximum attention to the growing economic and social issues, which is justified, but, on the other hand, human rights were mentioned only superficially, without clear objectives or as an issue almost exclusively related to the conditions for European integration. In line with that, it has been almost impossible to find references to terms such as LGBT people, protection from discrimination based on sex, gender identity or sexual orientation.