-First of all, why racism? Well, we are all the same here, I mean, of the same colour. There are no blacks, no Indians, no Asians… There are some in these international organisations, where they show up as occupiers… Just look at them. Stupid and have no idea about life. I, a racist? Pf! I don’t hate the blacks. Still, there are these Chinese, doing like Chinese do, just emerging out of nowhere, they came from China to Bosnia… They are one step away from outnumbering the Sandžaklijas… You wouldn’t believe the types that came here. God forbid!-
We hear such statements pretty often. Discrimination in Bosnia and Herzegovina turned into a daily occurrence. It is most often expressed towards the minority groups, children with disabilities or the Romani. There are also many examples of recorded discrimination based on political affiliation, or non-affiliation to politics, which is why the BiH citizens are often placed in a difficult position. The law on protection from discrimination was adopted in 2009, but is still insufficiently implemented. All these topics – prejudice, discrimination, forms of discrimination and on how to prevent it – were discussed by representatives of the OSCE Mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina with youth during “Coffee Time with…” at SPAJALICA.
Coffee time with the OSCE was organised by the Institute for Youth Development KULT with the support of the OSCE in BiH and all for the purpose of indicating to an insufficient implementation of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination in BiH. “This initiative is extremely important because the BiH citizens, and youth in particular, are not aware that the Law exists. They are uncertain on what discrimination represents, or what its forms are” – emphasized Mirela Ajanovi? from the Institute for Youth Development KULT. She adds that it is precisely why the lecture held for youth by Mr. Adnan Kadribaši? from the OSCE is important. “Youth expressed great interest in all the topics discussed. Many talked about the examples of discrimination – about situations that occurred or in which they participated. I believe that we truly achieved our goal – we inspired youth to think about discrimination that they might be witnessing on a daily basis. And we taught them how to recognise it” – concluded Mirela Ajanovi? from the Institute for Youth Development KULT.
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