Six women featured in the campaign are active [...]]]>

For the 8^th March, UN Women BiH has produced an internet and social media campaign with the purpose of celebrating women and their contribution to the society. It aims to transmit a POSITIVE and empowering message and image of women and their role and contribution to the society.

Six women featured in the campaign are active in the fields of: science, art, sports, motherhood, media and business. This campaign focuses the attention on women that represent good examples to other women and men in BiH. By highlighting the stories of these successful women our aim is to talk both about their achievements and the obstacles they have had to overcome.

Editor of the Radio Sarajevo web-portal, mother of three, musicologist by vocation, a person whom we are happy to see in all media, both in front and behind the camera…

Vesna Andree Zaimović has twenty five years of experience in journalism; of course, [...]]]>

One needs to take a long-term look

Editor of the Radio Sarajevo web-portal, mother of three, musicologist by vocation, a person whom we are happy to see in all media, both in front and behind the camera…

Vesna Andree Zaimović has twenty five years of experience in journalism; of course, that is not all.

“Whatever I do, I try to be the best, I give my maximum, and that seems to be the key to success in life.  Whatever I do I try to exceed myself, not only in professional but also in private life – because being a woman at present time, time that is pregnant with challenges and obligations, means going through all those obligations trying to deal with them in the best way one can and as quickly as possible, because when the work time ends, which is nowadays not limited to the eight hours, women have to do other things too.  I try to do my best, and when I do so I am at my most effective, and I end up having even time for myself – and that is yet another thing that is very important, something you need to have in order to succeed in life and carrier and to be happy with what you are doing.”

Continuing our conversation, Vesna shares her opinion of the difficulties she had faced and still faces on her path to successful carrier.

“Generally speaking, there is a big problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina that gets in the way of professional women, business women – the problem that we have very little time for social contacts, and our society is such that many business deals are made outside of professional framework.

To put it simply – I have no time to go to bars!

I have no time to do my work through such subtle interchanges that take place in our bars, conditionally speaking, on business lunches and dinners.  And this is a big problem for women in Bosnia and Herzegovina.  We would like our jobs to end when the working hours end, and we are doing our best to organize our work like that, but sometimes that is simply impossible…”

When we asked Vesna what advice she would have for all the women who want to make an attempt in the job that she is doing, she said:

„To be successful journalist does not mean to be the most popular or the most read – or in the case of web-portals, the most clicked – at any cost.  Being successful in journalism means being of long duration.  For somebody to endure long, I think, they must respect the standards of journalism.  It is more important to adhere to standards of journalism than to be the most read, the most popular.  It is hard to build a long carrier, but in my opinion, that pays off.  We are responsible. When we publish something we consider ourselves responsible to the general public, and we must stand behind that responsibility one hundred percent! We need to take a long-term view of things.“

We continue talking, touching upon 8 March too.

„I feel indescribably sorry for the children with flowers, rushing to give them to their teachers because that is the custom.  I forbade my children to bring me flowers on that day.  Anything forced is bad.  If you love your mother, teacher, wife, you will bring them flowers some other day.  8 March should be a day to think about the real role of a woman.  I am in favor of spending 8 March with my girl friends, instead with affected gifts and strained recognition that is backed with nothing.  And if we are going to talk about socially responsible celebration of 8 March, then it should definitely a day when we will say, without hiding behind any masks, without make up or cosmetics:  “Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina still do not have the rights that belong to them.  Women in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still in the backgrounds although they make the majority, we still talk about them as minority. They are this large underprivileged group in our population.”

With these words we end our interview, hoping that women like Vesna, strong and courageous women, will succeed, on this International Women’s Day, but on any other day too, in their efforts to implement women’s and human rights every day, in all segments of our lives.

Mensi Jazavčević

We spoke with Zana Marjanović, a successful BiH film, theatre and TV actress, for long enough to be able to “feel” the abundance of energy this young woman radiates through each word she says and each smile she makes, but not long enough – Zana has a lot [...]]]>

Create your own Roles

We spoke with Zana Marjanović, a successful BiH film, theatre and TV actress, for long enough to be able to “feel” the abundance of energy this young woman radiates through each word she says and each smile she makes, but not long enough – Zana has a lot to say when it comes to women, when it comes to 8 March.

“I have B.A.  degree in acting, I am an actor, that is written on my diploma.  Interestingly, it says “an actor”, not “an actress”.

Zana was born in May 1983, and has a lot of roles behind her.  And that is actually the reason why we ask Zana what is the key to her success?

“Well, I do not consider myself particularly successful; I believe that I am just doing my job the best I can, honorably, loyally, and with passion, and that is certainly what has brought me to this position where I am now, a very nice position.”

“There are always obstacles on the road to success”, adds Zana.  And those are: “First obstacle is the international drama literature where major characters are male. There are very few powerful female roles, and they are often “in the service” of the male role.  Second obstacle is a limited number of films made in Bosnia and Herzegovina in a year, which brings us back to the problem of not so many female roles.  But the thing that makes me happy, a bright light in this situation is that there are individuals like Jasmila Žbanić and Aida Begić who make films with many female characters – one good example being the “Snow” made by Directress Aida Begić, in which I had a role.”

Some of Zana’s advice on how to avoid the obstacles the actresses, but actors too, are faced with include:

“Very importantly, and I learned this from my own experience, is to remember that working on yourself does not stop when you graduate.  In fact, that is when the real work begins!   It is very important to read, to watch films, to go to museums, get educated in different ways and work as much as possible.  In the situation in which all of us are, as actresses and actors, it is important that we create opportunities for ourselves, because actors and actresses are often in situation that they have to wait for the opportunities – and that is very unfavorable situation.  Create your own roles, opportunities, art, performances, ways to express yourself.  That is one of the ways to train and exercise, because anything can become “rusty”, including our skill.”

We continue our talk to Zana mentioning the International Women’s Day.

“I believe that 8 March should not be seen as just one day, a holyday, but as an end of a year during which women have achieved what they achieved, and as a beginning of a new year in which the women would achieve even more.

8 March is important because it provides an opportunity to remember all the women who made great and important things throughout our history; and while remembering them, we need to look at the girls who will soon become women, so that they could achieve even more important and greater things.”

Zana believes that special efforts should be done to empower women who had been victims of violence, victims of war.  “For me, those women are the greatest heroes.  Their strength and courage, their testimonies and their facing with the past, their fight for justice are what all the women should look up to for guidance.”

And we wish Zana a lot more strength for many more good roles.  Roles that describe great, courageous and successful women – because the curtain in that case must never come down.

Mensi Jazavčević

Specialist in gynecology and obstetrics, professor at the School of Medicine in Banja Luka at the cathedra for gynecology and obstetrics, owner of the largest IVF center in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the only one in the Republika Srpska, or “simply” Doctor Sanja, Specialist for in vitro fertilization.

When asked how and [...]]]>

Creating Life

Specialist in gynecology and obstetrics, professor at the School of Medicine in Banja Luka at the cathedra for gynecology and obstetrics, owner of the largest IVF center in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the only one in the Republika Srpska, or “simply” Doctor Sanja, Specialist for in vitro fertilization.

When asked how and why she had chosen this particular field of medicine, Doctor Sanja says: “My first job was in the social-geriatric center – where the life ends.  After two years of facing my helplessness as a doctor, I decided I wanted to go where life was being born.  And this has been my motto throughout my professional work – go only there where life is born.  During my gynecology internship, while everybody else wanted to work in some other part of gynecology, from the very first moment when I had seen embryos and how the life was born I knew that my choice would be the in vitro fertilization.  I believe I was not wrong.  There is this special kind of energy.  When you see under a microscope the cell, the embryo, and after a year or two you see the child, that feeling is indescribable.

Dr. Sanja says that he job requires a lot of: “sacrifice, work, effort, and road to success is not easy.  In professional work, carrier, job, whatever you do you are faced with many difficulties.  Particularly when you are a pioneer in what you do.  It was hard because I was starting something new; but being a woman was an additional difficulty.  It took a long time for my colleagues, but also other people, to accept me on fully equal grounds for only one reason – my being a woman.”  However, regardless of all difficulties Dr. Sanja was facing on daily basis, she never gave up. She got her strength from smiles and happiness on the faces of couples whom she helped to become parents.   “Know yourself and follow whatever is best within you and that is how you will become successful.  Whatever it is that you are doing.”

Since 8 March is the day that symbolizes the women’s fight for their rights, Sanja’s story on her path to success, which was often quite hard, brought us to the question how she looked at the International Women’s Day.

“8 March causes a lot of debate – from full approval to full dismissal.  I think that there should be a day that will, in a way, glorify women in terms of everything that they had achieved and all their obligations.  Women are really capable of achieving many things, and that is something that I can see in the case of many of my friends, but other successful women too.  Women should not give up when they come across obstacles, they should have faith in themselves and go forward.  Be courageous and choose the path to walk on!”

There are many examples that confirm that women are truly capable of achieving a lot regardless of all the difficulties they continually face; that women are courageous and persistent; and Dr. Sanja is one of such women; her joyfulness and power are impossible not to feel when you are with her.  We wish to her and all her patients, men and women, a lot of success, a lot of strength and will, and a lot of “creation of life”.

Mensi Jazavčević

From the town that is reach in young swimming hopes comes Anja Čučković.  Anja is a swimmer, as well as her younger sister, Anđela Čučković.  This young girl says that sports means a lot to her, as it should mean to the country where she lives.  Anja was born in Trebinje [...]]]>

Dreams Swim Upstream

From the town that is reach in young swimming hopes comes Anja Čučković.  Anja is a swimmer, as well as her younger sister, Anđela Čučković.  This young girl says that sports means a lot to her, as it should mean to the country where she lives.  Anja was born in Trebinje in 1996.  She has been training swimming for five years and has already won 96 medals.  She attends Secondary School of Economics in Trebinje, and she is a member of the Swim Club „Leotar“ from Trebinje.

Talking to Anja we learned that swimming demands a lot of effort and sacrifice in order to be a successful swimmer, but we also learned that „all that effort pays off“.  In spite of the fact that Anja and her club colleagues have to travel to another town in winter to train, and that sometimes it is very tiring and takes a lot of her free time, Anja never thought of giving up swimming.  She hopes and believes that they will have a covered swimming pool in Trebinje soon and that it will be much easier to train.

We asked Anja how her school friends and other people looked at her choice to become a swimmer.  Anja responded, laughing: “In the beginning they were teasing me a little bit because I was a girl, and swimming was considered a man’s sports, but later, they got used to it and now I have everybody’s support. Do not let anybody and anything discourage you.  I want to tell all the girls, very young girls and teenagers, to do sports; it does not have to be swimming – any sport is good.  There is a lot to be gained from sports – opportunity to travel, learn about new cultures and new people, sports help your body develop in a healthy and good way.”

We found the confirmation of her previous statement in the continuation of our interview with Anja.  We asked her what she knew about 8 March.

“8 March is the International Women’s Day, I believe it is the day on which the women won a fight for some of their rights, but this fight continues.  Women fought for equal rights in work, employment, sports and all spheres of life.  I think that women deserve respect and consideration.  I think that sex is not all that important; what is important is that we follow our dreams. My message to all young and teenage girls and to all women is to be strong, to have a goal.  My message to them is that they should go into sports.”

With this message of Anja and the sentence “be satisfied with yourselves” we end of our conversation with this successful swimmer, hoping that we will see her and her sister again, and that, we believe, the walls of their cozy home will hold at least 96 more medals.

Mensi Jazavčević

We met with Ms. Nafija Ograšević- Đaković, an SOS mother from the Children’s Village of Peace “Turija”, in an atmosphere that spoke volumes.  It spoke about all human values condensed in one place.  About freedom of choice a woman or man has, about the best of all things [...]]]>

Motherhood as a matter of choice

We met with Ms. Nafija Ograšević- Đaković, an SOS mother from the Children’s Village of Peace “Turija”, in an atmosphere that spoke volumes.  It spoke about all human values condensed in one place.  About freedom of choice a woman or man has, about the best of all things you have that you want to pass on to somebody else, about friendship and love, about humanity.

Nafija was born in 1957 in Modrac, municipality of Lukavac.  For ten years she has been a mother to eight children.  She made a decision to become a mother, and she tells us that she has never regretted her choice, regardless of “how hard it is”.

“I have spent ten years in the village and I consider myself successful for the time I spent with the family, with my children.   There were ten children in my family at the beginning, and they needed a lot of love and understanding.  One needs to open their arms to those children.  We are trying to deal together with the difficulties that we face.  I receive a lot of help from associates, pedagogues, psychologists, social workers, everybody.  SOS Children’s Village of peace is trying hard and doing a good job.”

While we speak with Ms. Nafija, her children watch her mother with pride, giving her smiles of encouragement, and the interview and recording continues in an even more relaxed atmosphere.  Ms. Nafija says:

“I am a happy woman, a happy mother. I am trying my best to bring my children to the right path in life, although my worries grow as they approach adulthood and are forced to seek their place under the sun in those difficult times.  But I am not giving up.  I believe in them, I believe in myself.  I wish to tell to all women who want to be mothers, who do not consider this a job but a way of life, who like children, to decide to become SOS mothers.  This is a wonderful vocation that brings warmth into your life.”

When we asked Nafija what she thought about 8 March and its celebration, she said:  “Attention to rights of women should not be limited to that one day; instead, women should receive love and affection every day of a year.  Women should have all the rights and equality.”

We conclude our conversation with a message that Ms. Nafija, a SOS mother, sends out to all women:

“To all women all over the world, and especially those in Bosnia and Herzegovina, I want to send cordial regards on the occasion of 8^th of March.  I wish them to be happy, to persevere with their dreams and goals, and to have courage.

Accept love of a child.  Help children, because it is a great success when our children move on towards something bigger in their lives.  I send regards to all women, especially mothers.”

Mensi Jazavčević

Imagine a winery at the end of a town in the cragged Herzegovina.

And now imagine barrels and barrels of wine, vineyards.

Imagine toasts, imagine wine.

And now imagine a woman.

A woman whose name is Sanja Juričić-Franić.  A woman who, together with two more women, her sister and her mother, [...]]]>

Cheers!

Imagine a winery at the end of a town in the cragged Herzegovina.

And now imagine barrels and barrels of wine, vineyards.

Imagine toasts, imagine wine.

And now imagine a woman.

A woman whose name is Sanja Juričić-Franić.  A woman who, together with two more women, her sister and her mother, leads the vinery “Gangaš” from Čitluk.  Sanja was born in Mostar in 1982, she holds Masters Degree in agronomy and currently attends post-graduate study of economy.  Sanja is a wife.  Sanja is a successful entrepreneur.  Sanja is a mother.

Sanja is an enologist.

When we combine the word “wine” with the word “logos” we get what Sanja has been doing for many years.  She says that her road to becoming a wine expert was just a natural development of things that had been disturbed by a tragic event – early death of her father in 2002 – but that had not prevented or sidetracked her and her mother and sister from continuing their professional work and business development.  Long family tradition of wine production continues very successfully, with three women bravely heading forth and winning the market by producing and offering wine all over Bosnia and Herzegovina and beyond.

Sanja says that being a “woman enologist” is not something that should surprise people because the job is not considered exclusively “male job”, although it is still quite unusual in this region to see a woman doing it.  In spite of all, Sanja confidently says to all women to: “feel free to start the wine business because the wine production is now far from pure cellarer’s work; today it combines wine making and science and art”, and all that, Sanja says, “is particularly inherent to women”.

Sanja adds and underlines that persistence should also be inherent to women.  “Persistence, courage and effort”, continues Sanja.  “Our society today is faced with big problems, but that gives us no right to stop fighting and stop persisting.  It is important that we act equally, it is very important that both women and men realize that women are equal members of the society.  It is important that we learn and listen, that we believe in ourselves.”

When asked about her feelings about 8 March and the International Women’s Day, Sanja says that she sees a good symbolic value in that day and that “she believes that it is a day to raise awareness of significance of women in business and in general in all spheres of society.  And not only on that day”, says Sanja, “but on every day, because the world exists because women exist;  men exist because women exist.  It is very important that 8 March is marked not only as just another holiday, as a carnation or a dinner, but in the spirit of raising awareness to the level where the women would truly be equal to men, not only in business, but also in marriage and in home, where women would believe in themselves and their success.  Where women could achieve anything they want, relying on their own effort and persistence.  In the end, women today drive trucks and do boxing – why shouldn’t they make wine – top level wine?”

Why not?

Enology is waiting for you.

Mensi Jazavčević

Yes, that is what she had been – sad, unhappy and miserable, but not anymore. Hey, man, it is not you deciding whether and why to be born. Fight, and be grateful for what you have and what you are.

She was the first child in the [...]]]> A Lady Pilot

Yes, that is what she had been – sad, unhappy and miserable, but not anymore. Hey, man, it is not you deciding whether and why to be born. Fight, and be grateful for what you have and what you are.

She was the first child in the family. Mama had been waiting for that very role for many years – she had ended her first marriage for inability to conceive with that man. She married another man, and there she came, a beautiful girl with large sky blue eyes. Three-member family lived in two little rooms, a space small but enough to be happy. Over four years, their piece of Universe was joined by the fourth member, and then the fifth. And so parents lived with their three snowflake-like daughters, sweet, dear and susceptible to wind. It was all like a fairy tale; however, the life is not an imaginary story but a fight with obstacles.

The father worked, but for himself, not so hard physical work. Whatever he would earn – he would drink away on the way home. When he would get his salary he would not even bother to go home; he would only come once the money was all spent on drink, with his pockets empty and with bruised body, then he would come home and make a theater. Her parents would play the leading roles. Pity the theme had always been a violent physical encounter with her mother. And the women, powerless, she let herself be hit by that drunken bully in whose mind she was to be blamed for him having drunk away the salary, for being miserable in life, or for any other reason. Occasionally, the scenario was a little bit different – some frozen chickens would fly into the women’s head, plates were smashed because the soup was tasteless, nights were spent at neighbors’ because she would be thrown out of the house with her three girls. Their holidays of laughter were when the father was not at home. Sad, but true. Mama would organize birthday parties for her girls.

. And so, the youngest remembers her tenth birthday. Mama had made a cake and boys and girls came over to spend the day with them. It was a marry day, a lot of children laughter and noise filling their dim room. But when the night came, there were tears and screams. Father came home after three days of „business trip“ and destroyed all happy memories of the birthday. The calamity was heard by a friend from the neighborhood, who innocently asked the next day what had happened. And the ten years old said with confidence that the noise was caused by a birthday party. Why? Well, they wandered too why would they be doomed to live in anxiety and fear, why they always, always had to laugh cautiously. All housework, usually done by both women and men, was done by their mother; she did the laundry, cooking, cutting firewood, fixing already worn out window frames. She had no job, but after a long time of unpaid bills she was forced to fight for survival. She cleaned in the supermarket and she was not ashamed because she was trying to honorably provide their children with a decent living.

The mid-child, fifteen years old at the time, was going on a school trip, and it was also the mother’s doing: she borrowed money from the neighbors so that her daughter could go with her friends. He was informed that she was leaving – he should know where his children were. Before leaving to the unforgettable trip, he came and entered the bus. The only thing she remembered were the candies he had brought along and the drunken read eyes when he wished her good time. She was ashamed of her father, ashamed in front of the whole bus that went silent. All good things that she experienced and saw at the school trip were wiped out with a bag of candies. Occasionally, that stranger in the home invited over some friends to play cards, while playing loud music and enjoying life. The only three rays of light of their mothers’ spited such situations by continuing to study and doing their homework. A young girl went to the university, and she found refuge in her books. While other students’ only concern was how to just pass an exam, she approached her preparations for exams as scientific papers as they provided the sole escape from cruel reality.

Her father did not even know that she was going to university, she came home and tonight was the show night. Who knows how many repeats this show has had? It is January, the exam time. She begged her mother not to call the police, but the neighbor acted faster than the woman who was lying on the snow that turned red from blood from her nose and lips. How painful were the red stains that ruined the winter idyll! They went to the police station to give a statement. Mother was taken care of and provided with first aid. She has the exam tomorrow, but she is not thinking of that, she only wants to have done away with that painful interview. She passed the math exam, not knowing how she managed to concentrate on the numbers that were so difficult to her colleagues. Her mother’s disease- that was a real blow to the girls who still needed a teacher of life. In bewilderment she listened to a doctor telling her that her mother was diagnosed with cancer – a cancer that was stealing away their mother, piece by piece. She fought helplessly for a while, but she succumbed to the only true battle, the fate, not battle between physically stronger and weaker one.

On a November night, one young girl dreamed about her being in the sky… She was the pilot, she had her crew… they were flying into the unknown. She was imagining the ships in the sky racing against each other, and she was on the fastest one, reaching yet undisclosed place. She knew, after mama’s death, she was to take the helm in her hands and navigate the endless space. She graduated flight control, fulfilling her own and her mother’s dream, and now she was going to lead her younger sisters in her plane.

They had all left their father – they did not need that man because in her twenty two years of age she had never known the man who was called their father. Now she is guardian of her younger sisters, she is the one going to school meetings, facing the problems of teenage years of her sisters, ready to play the role she was cast for. The three snowflakes do not hate their father, they are only sorry for him being such a bad man. He had remarried, perhaps he will not treat the new wife the same, because she too is a woman, fragile, soft, of physically weaker sex. Who knows?

The blue-eyed mother’s beauties live in a house that does not belong to them, that is rented; they are paying the rent, but they are happy. The pilot and her co-pilots still refuse to accept men among the crew, perhaps because they find none of them strong and courageous enough to defend them against the weather. The life had taught them to wait; those who deserve to be heroes of the three heroines will come along one day.

Story: Nermina Hadžiomerović
Poster: United Nations BiH Joint Antiviolence Campaign

Meet the author

Scream in the Night

It dawned. Finally, the day arrived that both of us had been waiting with anticipation. School trip, the famous school trip that everybody talks so much about! While the rays of sun are touching my face, I am slowly opening my eyes, taking my [...]]]>

Scream in the Night

It dawned. Finally, the day arrived that both of us had been waiting with anticipation. School trip, the famous school trip that everybody talks so much about! While the rays of sun are touching my face, I am slowly opening my eyes, taking my phone and calling Esma, my best friend. “Wake up, it’s time!” Excitement was clear in her voice, as it was on day when we both enrolled the grammar school. We met at the usual place and together walked into the “adventure of our lives”. I had the feeling that we had never been happier, words were not sufficient to describe the feelings that flooded us. At last we started. Our adventure has begun.

We traveled whole day and whole night. The trip was pleasant and at the same time unforgettable. Everything was happening so quickly, it seemed that it only took us couple of hours. The time “flew by”, and my Esma and I were growing happier hour after hour. And so we arrived. Although there were late hours of the morning, everything was so alive, the city was glowing, and I was simply lost in all that shine of the town of Loret de Mar. When we entered the hotel we saw a group of boys – they were students from a grammar school from Sarajevo. We met, and immediately there were some feelings. After the dinner and long talk, we started towards the disco. Dance and good music made the night unforgettable.

When we came back from the disco, Esma was simply shining. It was the shine of love. “I fell in love”, she said. It was one of the boys from the Sarajevo school. Love was mutual, they seemed so happy and in love, just one look at them said it all. They were inseparable the whole time, so much so that there were moments when I felt lonely, but at the same time I was so happy for my best friend who found her soul mate. The time passed quickly and only then I realized the true meaning of the saying “everything that is good lasts does not last long”. The return, that dreaded return to reality, I was reminding myself. It took me long time to go back to the usual life. While I was going back to my old tracks, my Esma went deeper and deeper in love. But, her happiness did not last long, just as our trip did not last long. “He left me”, said she with bitterness and sadness in her voice. Sorrow and pain replaced her exhilaration. She changed, became a different person. She was not any more my Esma, my best friend. She distanced herself from everybody and everything, she would not come to school, and whenever I called her, I always got only her voice mail.

I knew that the source of her sorrow was not the breakup with the guy, so I decided to be persistent and I kept trying to get to her until I finally succeeded. I knew that I had to play the role of a psychologist, listen to her to the end, and then propose a way out of her situation that seemed so desperate. “He raped me”, she repeated through tears, and I went numb. I felt like earth was breaking apart under my feet, blood in my veins was turning into ice. I held her tight and everything else around us disappeared. It was the longest and the hardest night of my life. While I watched her sleep, I kept thinking about the ways to help her, how to give her strength to overcome this situation.

I switched the computer on and started searching, looking for institutions that work on prevention of violence against women. I found that there were many centers that help people gain back their self-confidence and will to live. This knowledge gave me a new hope that my Esma would one day be my “old” Esma. I also searched for best psychiatrists for cases like hers. I read a lot about such situations. I was shocked to learn how much the young girls are unprotected and how little is being said about this. The first thing I did was the hardest one – convincing Esma to seek expert help. I kept trying for days, and she kept resisting. Night after night I kept persuading her in long, hard discussions. Time went by, and Esma could not fight away her fear. She was getting worse and worse every day, full of pain, sorrow and hate. I often thought that she might hurt herself, and that thought was killing me.

After five months of struggle, pain and sorrow, Esma told me: “I cannot be silent anymore.” I felt my heart was beating hard of joy because I knew this was the first step towards her new future. That day we went to the police together, and Esma reported her attacker. He was detained the same day. This was a new beginning for Esma. Everything became so much easier the moment my friend decided to say something about her scream in the night that was so lethal for her. The next day I took her to a specialized institution where she immediately received psychiatric help. My friend spoke with the psychiatrist for long time and immediately felt much better. So much better that she decided to go there every day. Thanks to the experts there, my best friend managed to get back the hold of her life and smile again. After completing the grammar school, Esma went to study psychology and volunteer in the Center.

She works there now, happy to be able to help others since she had felt on her own skin what it felt like to be a victim of violence. I often ask myself the question: “Why are we victims of violence? Why do some people believe they can abuse us because of our sole weakness – the physical one, which we have to raise from ashes. We must not naively keep looking into the ashes of our lives. A lot of pain had been crushing us over centuries, but never broke us; many our hopes had sunk, but our spirit had not fallen, it was not broken, because we have faith in ourselves, in justice and peace. Peace in our tortured souls that screamed when they came into this world. Was it the scream of terror from what we saw there, or was it a scream directed to humanity to stop the evil?

Story: Jasmina Zilić & Haris Kurtagić
Photo: Studio TNT

Meet the authors

Domestic violence !!!

Domestic violence is a criminal offense punishable with fine or imprisonment; while the domestic violence that had caused death of the victim is punishable with long- term imprisonment.

A victim of violence may seek help on the unique SOS Telephone numbers::

Federation of BiH – 1265

  Republika Srpska - 1264 

The call is free of charge!

When you call one of these numbers you do not have to say your name or provide personal information.

If you are reporting violence to the police:

When you are physically attacked, the police are the first in the chain of help. You may call them on the number 122:

• The police officers will first conduct an interview with you and your abuser. If for any reason you do not want to talk in the presence of the abuser, you may request that you talk to the police alone.
• If you have sustained any physical injuries you should go to the Emergency Medical Aid immediately and request them to give you an medical report on your injuries. You can go to the Emergency Medical Aid on your own, or you may ask the police to take you there.
• The police may arrest the abuser and hold him in the station for not more than 24 hours.

If you are reporting violence in a police station:

• You will talk to the officer responsible for domestic violence. You need to tell this officer everything that was happening to you.
• If you are too afraid to go back home, ask the police to place you in one of the safe houses.

Police officer’s duty is to write a report on what had happened, bring the abuser to the police station and start the relevant procedure before the court and/or prosecution.
The police officers who fail to act in accordance with law may be reported to the Ministry of Interior Affairs.
Do not change the statement that you had given to the responsible bodies because that may make the subsequent proceedings more difficult and it works for the abuser! If the abuser threatens you, seek protection.

If you are reporting violence to the Center for Social Work:

• Ask for the official who is working on domestic violence cases. Tell them what is happening to you and request them to make official note.
• If necessary, ask them to notify the police.
• Ask the official to explain to you the rights you have under the law and help you exercise your rights.
• If you are too scared to go back home, ask the official to place you in a safe house for victims of domestic violence.

Shelters for victims of domestic violence (safe houses):

• Request to be placed in a safe house, with or without your children, may be made to the police officer and/or center for social work, or directly to the non-governmental organizations that have such safe houses.
• Once in the shelter, victims receive necessary medical, social/legal, psychological and other aid.
• A person may stay in the shelter 3 months.

List of safe houses:

• Udružene žene, Banja Luka
• Medica, Zenica
• Fondacija za obrazovanje i socijalnu zaštitu djece, Prijedor
• Žene BiH, Mostar
• Mirjam – Caritas, Mostar
• Viva žene, Tuzla
• Fondacija lokalne demokratije, Sarajevo
• Žene sa Une, Bihać
• Budućnost, Modriča
  

Free legal aid and information:

• Provide basic information on rights and institutions.
• Provide direct legal aid that may include initiating and conducting proceedings before various institutions, writing complaints and submissions, providing legal advice etc.

Organizations that provide legal aid:

•  Centar za pravnu pomoć ženama / Center for Legal Assistance for Women, Zenica  phone: 032-402-049
•  Fondacija lokalne demokratije / Foundation for Local Democracy, Sarajevo
•  Helsinški komitet za ljudska prava BiH / Helsinki Committee for Human Rights BiH, Sarajevo – phone: 033-660-811
•  Udružene žene / United Women, Banja Luka, phone: 051-463-143
•  Žene BiH / Women BiH, Mostar, phone: 036-550-339
•  Budućnost, Modriča, phone 053-820-701
•   Vaša prava (Your rights) (uredi):

• Sarajevo: Safeta Hadžića 66a, phone 033 789 105
• Banja Luka: Meše Selimovića 17, phone 051 232 920
• Goražde: Seada Sofovića Sofe 10, phone 038 220 544
• Mostar: Hasana Zahirovića Lace bb, phone 036 558 580
• B. Petrovac: Bosanska 110, phone 037 881 248
• Srebrenica: Titova bb, phone 056 440 998
• Trebinje: Carine 3, phone 059  240 680
• Tuzla: Rudarska 63, phone 035 286 484, 210 210
• Prijedor: Save Kovačevića 12, phone 052 241 290