The recent case of the impossibility of placing a child victim of violence in an appropriate institution in Tuzla Canton once again pointed out all the shortcomings of the system. The struggle for care lasted for several days, and numerous institutions in the country were informed about everything. There are no adequate institutions for permanent care in Bosnia and Herzegovina, warn from the non-governmental sector.
The case of the 13-year-old boy, which is still ongoing, opened a “Pandora’s box”. The boy, for whom there is a court ruling that he is a victim of violence, was taken into temporary care after a few days, thanks to the reactions of the Land of Children, the Tuzla Center for Social Work and the Federal Ministry.
“There is no option of returning to the family, it is a very complex situation and we cannot allow that we have one minor child under 14 years of age, for whom we do not have the option of accommodation, even though it is a child with behavioral problems,” says the director of the Center for social work Tuzla Lejla Sadiković.
The reception center in the Home for Children Without Parental Care, as the primary solution for children who are victims of violence, refused to accept a child who had stayed there before, in a statement citing the behavior as the reason.
“Setting certain conditions when housing a child who is a victim of violence is not in the best interest of the child. In addition, not providing adequate protection in the first moments of caring for the child, we mean certain psychological support, health care and so on, is also one of the aspects of violating the rights of the child “, points out the director of the Association “Land of Children of BiH”, Mirsada Bajramović.
The Home explains that the Shelter is a necessary accommodation, for a maximum of three months, and for the reception of children who have certain behavioral problems, it leads to unwanted consequences.
“We are responsible for nine children who are already in the Shelter. Given that the Shelter is semi-open in some way, these children very easily come into contact with the children who are placed in the Home. It is not the child’s fault that he is in such a situation. We as the Canton we don’t have an adequate institution that can adequately respond to those children,” says Amir Muharemović, assistant director of the Home for Children without Parental Care Tuzla.
After information that the Center for Social Work of this city refused to take care of the child from Srebrenik, we contacted that Institution as well. Among other things, they answer that the child lives in Tuzla, and previously lived in Srebrenik.
“On December 4, 2023, in the premises of the Srebrenik Center, the mother took over her minor son, about which there is a statement in the Record. In the statement, she stated that she will live in Tuzla,” the Center stated.
While the responsibility is being transferred, the Association “Land of Children” has, they say, sent a request to the authorities in Srebrenik to review the responsibility of this Center, adding that they have informed the Prosecutor’s Office, the Police and the ombudsmen about the case. There are many such cases, notes Bajramović.
“A few months ago, the organization also met with a child who is a victim of human trafficking, who is currently in an inappropriate institution only because there is no adequate institution in Bosnia and Herzegovina to provide him with protection,” says Bajramović.
The competent Cantonal Ministry for BHRT says that it will continue to work on the permanent resolution of such cases, confirming the deficiencies in the system.
