Women of Bosnia and Herzegovina Marched for Equality

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On the International Women’s Day, the women from all parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina gathered yesterday, March 8, 2012, in Sarajevo and Banja Luka, to promote messages of peace, solidarity and equality with protest marches.

Close to 1.000 women gathered in front of the National Museum in Sarajevo to join the march organized by the Foundation Cure, Women for Women International, Women to Women Association, “Mikro” and others. The women marched from the National Museum to Eiffel’s Bridge to mark the 101st anniversary of the International Women’s Day.

Women of BiH marched for equality in Sarajevo and Banja Luka (Photo Nedim Grabovica/Sarajevo-x)

"Today, 101 years later, the women continue to seek the same rights. The sole difference to that time is that today we can vote in elections. Otherwise, the women remain unrepresented in political life, contrary to the criteria set in the Law on Gender Equality. There should be 40% women in all structures of power and government. Today, however, only 17% of our political representatives and officials are women, there are no women in the Council of Ministers, and the results are more than negative”, Vedrana Frašto from the Foundation Cure told Sarajevo-x.com portal.

Alma Budaković from Women for Women International noted that the aim of the march was to gather as many women on March 8 and send out messages of peace, solidarity and equality.

After the march, all women gathered on Eiffel’s Bridge in Sarajeve and release balloons that carried their messages. Brief cultural programme was held at the small park near the administrative building of Centar Municipality.

In Banja Luka, the Oštra Nula association organized, in cooperation with Foundation Cure, a street march under the moto “Every Day is March 8”. Also, later in the day, the Iron Jawed Angels film was screened at the premises of Centar local community.

"While we mark the International Women’s Day since 1910, many women all over the world have to fight for their rights to this day. That is true, alas, for our extremely patriarchal society. We see that women are subjected to discrimination in all segments of social and cultural life, as well as in the areas of basic existential issues and basic human rights”, Oštra Nula association said.

Oštra Nula notes that women in Bosnia and Herzegovina are continually exploited as cheap labour while in majority of cases they are denied even the basic legal rights, allowances and compensation.

"Rural areas are a true black hole for the women, with illiteracy among rural women going as high as 47%. That raises the legitimate question of functioning of the rule of law in our country which guarantees, in the Constitution, the right to education to all, regardless of their sex or gender”, the organizers said.

Women in Banja Luka carried banners with messages “As a woman, I have no country, the whole world is my country”, “Everybody knows about March 8, but I am a woman every day”, "Stop Violence against Women”, etc. (Source: Sarajevo-x.com)