ISO: *************************************************************************** The electronic version of this document has been prepared at the Fourth World Conference on Women by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in collaboration with the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women Secretariat. *************************************************************************** AS WRITTEN STATEMENT BY MS. JASNA BAKSIC - MUFTIC, National Liaison for Women's Affairs, Head of the Delegation of The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina to the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 11 September, 1995 Madame Chair, Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, I speak before you today on behalf of Bosnia and Herzegovina, a European state with a thousand year long history, but also a state that regretfully has not had the fortune to present itself for its rich culture and tradition. The Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina has lived a European dream - a multicultural, multireligious, multiethnic community in which all the differences are being respected. In 1992, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina did all it could in the civil and political fields to avoid the war. On April 5, 1992, citizens of various religious and ethnic backgrounds demonstrated for peace, emphasizing their determination against war and partition or division of any sort. They raised their voice warning of the danger of the new coming fascism of Serbia and Monte Negro, warning both the domestic and international community what in the political instance the realization of the project of a " greater Serbia " would mean. To no avail. The European history of the Second World War repeated itself once again in Bosnia and Herzegovina: concentration camps, expulsions, genocide that was aimed not only at the physical elimination of the Bosniac and Croat peoples, but at the erasing of the traces of their culture and heritage - silent witnesses of their existence. In one moment, by bombs and shells the Serbian aggressor attempted to murder both the past and the present of one people. In this situation, the unjust arms embargo imposed on the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina has meant the embargo on life. It is because of this that Bosnia had no choice but to rise in defense of its right to life and right to existence - which is the first premise for the realization of the theme of this Conference - equality, development and peace - or else surrender to Evil. Today, when Bosnia and Herzegovina is mentioned, it is being associated with expulsion, death, ethnic cleansing, genocide, concentration camps, the longest sieges in history and massacres of civilian population. When women of Bosnia and Herzegovina are mentioned, words of suffering, mass rape, manipulations with motherhood and forced pregnancies come to one's mind, images of refugees who when fleeing their homes have taken nothing else but their misfortune. Today, I will deliberately omit the statistics, since the statistics carries neither name nor surname, nor the year of birth, nor a human face or a story to tell - stories that each on its own would surpass any piece of fine literature. Therefore, respect for each and every one of those stories demands that they be not reduced to mere numbers. Despite all this, women in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina are not only victims and they are not only the passive observers and objects of activities, but rather active participants in the daily struggle for survival. They represent the main pillars of life in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Despite the war, they have managed to maintain the illusion of normal life in their homes. Even when there is no running water, electricity and gas as utilities are cut off at will of the Serbian aggressor as a matter of routine for months now - they have managed to maintain their houses clean, their families fed and their work done. When it was impossible to allow children to go out because of the incessant shelling, they would invent games and tell stories in the attempt to protect their children with love - the only weapon they had against the to the teeth well armed enemy. Women are also active and engaged in all spheres of social, cultural, public and political life. There are fifty women organizations and groups with a wide range of activities including research work on various projects, education, information and media activities, humanitarian actions directed at offering assistance to the traumatized women and children and assistance to children who have lost their parents to war. The organization of women fighters has been established since the first days of the aggression. These various organizations have joined into an umbrella organization called symbolically "Phoenix" - a mythological bird that rose from ashes. The cooperation between the Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina and these non governmental organizations is exemplary. Women are actively involved in the fields of economy, culture, health, education, governmental bodies, justice system, media. I can freely say that owing to a great extent, to this active participation of women during these most difficult war times, all the structures of the Bosnian society have managed to function successfully. As for the legal side, the Constitution of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as its laws and regulations have consistently implemented the principle of equality and equal opportunity in the work environment, including the principle of "equal pay for equal work. " The Constitution specifically emphasizes the social protection of the family, that is, protection of women and children. Employed mothers are offered a legal opportunity to take a paid one year pregnancy leave, with guaranteed right to return to her work place. However, the current situation in the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina is characterized by a completely distorted demographic, social and educational structure of the society. A large number of the population is in exile, and cities have swollen with refugees and the displaced. Majority of them had been employed in the agriculture sector, since the refugee and displaced populations come from primarily rural parts of the country - those parts that have suffered the worst waves of ethnic cleansing. A large number of women are undereducated and in the future it will be necessary to invest a lot of effort and resources in their resocialization and training with the aim of achieving their economic independence. A feature of Bosnian reality are single mothers - mothers who have lost their husbands and members of their families to war - who bear tremendous responsibilities being the only providers for their families. As a consequence of a large number of the wounded civilians, there are many disabled among the women and children populations - and we are paying a particular attention to the rehabilitation of those into the society. Though the difficult war conditions are still determining priorities in our society, the Government of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina will look to improve the overall situation of all its citizens, in particular women and children. Towards this end, the following areas, inter alia, can be emphasized: - providing care and assistance for orphaned children; - assistance in the fields of education and vocational training for women; - improving the standard of health care, in particular related to women's needs and particularly, offering assistance to the women victims of violence; and - encouraging active participation of women in the decision making process and power sharing at all levels of social, political, economic and cultural life Despite all the difficult challenges, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina has won the first and most important battle - a battle for survival. However, the future for the women in Bosnia and Herzegovina will still bear many challenges in the light of all the problems that we are facing now in the military, political, economic, social and cultural spheres. Today, we hope for your support in the realization of the theme of this Conference in the Republic of Bosnia ad Herzegovina, that is - equality, development, and peace - and in the first place - peace, as much as we hope that our destiny will not repeat to any of you. I thank you for your attention.