“NO TURNING BACK” was the title of the conference organized by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly in early March in Banja Luka with the aim of reviewing the situation regarding the activities of anti-gender actors in BiH and the region and considering possible responses to their demands.
The conference brought together more than 40 representatives of civil society organizations, media, academia, international organizations and independent institutions dealing with human rights protection from BiH, Serbia and Slovenia.
The introductory online presentation by Roman Kuhar, a full professor at the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Ljubljana, provided an overview of current anti-gender trends on a global level, which were given a special boost by Donald Trump’s executive orders abolishing “diversity, equity and inclusion” programs and requiring the recognition of only two genders, male and female, in passports, visas and other documents.
“Gender ideology has become part of the official executive orders issued by Trump. But this is just the latest chapter in an anti-gender mobilization that has been going on for more than two decades. It is somewhat ironic that all this madness around gender ideology, which was produced and constructed in the West, also with the help of some American political actors, and then exported to Eastern Europe, Latin America and the rest of the world, is now being ‘imported’ back to the United States”, said Kuhar.
He compared anti-gender mobilization to the hydra, a mythical creature that has one body but many different heads that turn in different directions.
“Those heads may be turning in different directions, which means that the mobilization around gender ideology might play out differently in different national contexts, but they all belong to the same body”, Kuhar explained in his presentation, adding that what we are witnessing “is not just an attack on abortion rights, and it is not just an attack on trans people and same-sex couples, and it is not just an attack on illegal immigrants, it is an attack on democracy”.
In the panel that followed, Jelena Višnjić, one of the founders and director of “BeFem”, reflected on the failed attempts to introduce sex education in Serbia, the suspension of the implementation of the Law on Gender Equality, the Pro Life Conference 2023 and, in response to it, the organization of the conference “Facts against Lies” in Belgrade, and the latest “appropriation” of children when it was said that “children are the property of the state”.
She added that right-winged women are also encouraging anti-gender narratives, recalling the motto “Enough Words, Let It Cry”, which was used in Serbia to increase the birth rate.
“The female body is instrumentalized in both war and peace”, said Višnjić, adding that we are witnessing “the erosion of the achievements of feminist victories”.
Rubina Čengić pointed out that, in terms of support for anti-gender actors and their demands, the situation is worse in the Federation of BiH than in the Republic of Srpska, because, as she stated, in the Federation there is “synchronized action through institutions whose representatives interpret femicide as a form of discrimination against men!”.
She pointed out that there are many organizations in Herzegovina that are against abortion and warned about actors who “offer girls to try on the hijab just to see how it looks on them, while in fact they are perfidiously promoting traditional roles in society”.
The second panel discussed ways to counter the actions of anti-gender actors and the implementation of strategies to reduce their influence.
Jasmina Čaušević, a master’s degree holder in gender studies, pointed out that institutions are latently trying to reduce women’s opportunities for any political or other engagement through contributions for three or more children.
“In this way, the traditional reproductive role of women is further emphasized, thereby limiting their social and professional space”, Čaušević pointed out.
“It is important to develop awareness of anti-gender activities and their consequences, and this should not be seen as a secondary problem, but as a key social issue. Strategies for combating it should be an integral part of the institutional response and action, not alternative measures”, said Selma Alispahić, assistant professor at the Department of Sociology at the University of Sarajevo, adding that “it is necessary to work on education and raising awareness, both through formal education and through education of civil servants and parliamentary representatives”. She cited training and programs implemented by non-government organizations as one of the effective ways to do this.
The panelists agreed that there is no concrete way to stop anti-gender activities tomorrow, but that there are clear and necessary steps that every society can and must start implementing. And the lively discussion that followed the panels showed that there is a growing need for feminists, LGBT activists, academics, and journalists to join forces and prevent the diminishment or abolition of the rights already acquired by women and minority groups.
The report was prepared by: Gabrijela Asentić and Anastasija Plavšić
Photo: Ajdin Kamber
