On December 11, on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day, the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka, in cooperation with the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina, organized a conference called “Gender-Based Discrimination in the Field of Labour in BiH”, intended for institutional and non-institutional actors who provide free legal assistance, including lawyers working with associations that manage legal aid services.
During the conference, the Handbook for Lawyers and Associates in Legal Issues in the Field of Gender-Based Discrimination in the Field of Work in BiH was presented, as a guide for the protection of rights in the field of gender-based discrimination in BiH, published by the HCA in 2023.
The handbook is the result of a series of trainings for providers of free legal aid that HCA implemented as part of the project “Gender-Based Discrimination in the Field of Labour in BiH” (2022) supported by the Embassy of the United States of America in BiH and should serve as a guide for all those who are interested in how they can legally protect rights in the field of gender-based discrimination in BiH, be they legal experts who work in centers for providing free legal aid, lawyers, activists in human rights organizations, women fighters for gender equality, members of organizations that are engaged in various activities related to anti-discrimination regulations, groups focused on gender equality, public officials or just interested citizens.
Also, the OSCE mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina presented the Analysis of Court Practice in Discrimination Cases for the period 2018-2021. With a focus on the responses of the courts in the context of proceedings initiated under the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination (ZZD), this Analysis monitors and determines relevant trends in the application of the Law and shows the potential it can have when properly applied.
The dominant number of cases of discrimination in connection with employment and the higher frequency of men as prosecutors compared to women indicate the need for further action, especially advocacy for the use of existing legal mechanisms, as well as strengthening the capacity of free legal aid.
With this event, the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka and the OSCE Mission to BiH intend to contribute to the efforts of all actors in identifying and responding to challenges and structural issues in the implementation of anti-discrimination legislation and its consistent application in cases of gender-based discrimination in the field of work and employment. The goal of the conference was also the promotion of procedural and legal mechanisms that provide victims of gender-based discrimination with the opportunity to file complaints and seek compensation for the damage suffered, in order to achieve progress in the fight against gender-based discrimination.
The conference is the result of cooperation between the Mission and HCA in the field of combating (gender-based) discrimination in employment and the labor market, which was particularly relevant during the implementation of the projects “Education of Judges and Prosecutors on Gender Discrimination at Work” (2021) and “Gender Based Discrimination in the Field of Labour in BiH” (2022), which were supported by the Embassy of the United States of America in BiH.
