V-DAY
until the violence stops
Gender
Violence in Herzegovina
Violence
and sexual abuse of women and girls
in
Bosnia and Herzegovina remains a pervasive yet under recognized human
rights violation. Unfortunately, sexual abuse happens much more often
than it is written or spoken about it.
One
of the dominant problems regarding this issue is its understanding as
a domestic violence that is not legally defined in any Bosnian law,
regulation or police statement. As a general rule, women in Bosnia and
Herzegovina refrain from reporting cases of violence and sexual abuse
because Bosnian society is strongly and traditionally patriarchal. In
many cases Bosnian society views problem of violence as a very private
thing.
Thousand of woman on the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina are
living and accepting violence day-by-day in their life because they do
not have any proper mean to fight it. Those women are carrying their
trauma and living with it without having any proper chance to speak
about it, find help, often feeling ashamed and left behind from
society. They are aware that if they try to speak or to find help they
could be accused or sealed by their community and family.
Roots
for this kind of behaving we can find in the society structure which
is not allowing women and young girls to build their confidence and
find their place and role. It is very clear that gender violence has
many levels and forms, but no matter which one we are taking into
consideration, the result is always the same. It is one of the
heaviest wounds on a personal level as well as on a society level that
is always leaving deep injuries. According to the questionnaire that
was made on the territory of Herzegovina-Neretva canton, 76% of the
women had witnessed the violence and 56% has or is experiencing the
violence.
It
becomes very clear that abuses and discrimination of woman and girls
in Mostar region, as well as in other parts of Bosnia and Herzegovina,
is a kind of taboo, about which we have to start speaking openly,
breaking the wall of silence, restoring the consciousness and public
who does not want to recognize importance and seriousness of this
problem. Also, on the territory of Herzegovina problem of violence is
very much present but up to now it has never been taken as a really
serious problem by the public and governmental institutions.
Therefore, we can say that this problem stays on society margins,
inaccessible.
One
of the aims that V-day has is to contribute to prevail prejudice and
open possibilities for woman and men to get informed and learn more
about their rights, identity and possibilities. Woman all over the
world are very much aware that we are living in a world in which they
do not feel safe that in one moment of their life they could become a
victims of sexual abuse and discrimination.
V-Day
Campaign
V-day was born in 1998 as an outgrowth of
Eve Ensler's
play, "The Vagina Monologues", which expresses the violence that
suffer women and young girls all around the world. This theatre
performance was held in many countries, and it became very clear that
this violence does not recognize nationality, religion or political
background borders.
That
is how V-day has become a global movement spreading a new vision of
the world in which woman and girls will be able to live with their
full dignity and freedom. Only in year 2002, more than 800 V-Day
benefit events were presented through V –Day World wide campaign and
College campaign, educating millions of people about the reality of
violence, helping and supporting women to find and discover their own
identity.
For
four years it is growing and gathering women from all over the world.
This year V Day campaign will happen from February to March trying to
gather Valentines day and Woman’s day in a creative and progressive
atmosphere that will attempt to make the mentalities evolve about this
issue.
Two
towns in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sarajevo and Mostar, have united
their forces to organize V Day campaign in both of the cities, sharing
their experience and knowledge on this project. The whole town and
surrounding of will be included in this project on different levels
through medias, marketing, public events, workshops, exhibitions and
anti violence campaign.
Campaign in Sarajevo, one of the biggest in Europe, will be turned
more to the rest or Eastern Europe gathering actresses, volunteers and
does who are interested in giving contribution. The one in Mostar will
be more turned to its region and the territory of Bosnia and
Herzegovina, with a special accent on young people, giving them
chance, place and possibility to find more about equality, human
rights, gender issues. We want that Bosnia and Herzegovina becomes one
of the strong world spots that are supporting fight against violence
and a support point of V Day global movement. Cooperation and
corroboration between Sarajevo and Mostar, as well as with other V Day
organizer will be constant and interactive.
“Rape
free zone“
campaign is a part of V-day campaign. Through this campaign we will
become part of “World Rape free zone “campaign which is encouraging
people all over the world to mark their communities as “Rape free
zone”. We want to work with the local community, authorities, and
schools to proclaim Mostar city as “Rape free zone”. On that way we
will try to send a very strong message about what the violence is and
how to fight it, as well as to strength the authorities’ involvement
about this problem.
for more information on V-DAY
campaign- Mostar2003
contact : Ana Marinčić
Adress: Lacina 6, 88000 Mostar
Tel:
++387(0)36 552 039
or dial: ++ 387(0)36 311 126
Fax:
++ 387(0)36 311 126
mobile
phone:++387 063 407 309
e-mail
adress:
ana_labih@hotmail.com
vdaymostar@yahoo.com
all
information about v-day campaign worldwide: http://www.vday.com/
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