The Association for Democratic Initiatives and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights, in cooperation with the Student Association of Mostar, organized training in combating discrimination for youth. The training was held on the premises of the Faculty of Law, University of Mostar, and is financially supported by the International Organization for the Protection of Human Rights, Civil Rights Defenders.
The program began with a lecture on hate crimes by Marta Valinas, the OSCE representative. After a one-hour presentation, everyone present discussed the topic and situations they experienced on the topic of hate crimes. Subsequently, students Saša Kulukčija, Ante Matijević and Vedran Arapović began a debate on discrimination and hate speech in local communities. The students in attendance had much to say about this topic.
They presented cases in which they encountered discrimination, hate speech, and presented ideas how to prevent them. They came to a conclusion that an individual approach to solving the problem of discrimination that occurs in daily life is necessary.
On the second day of training, Adnan Kadribašić, one of the authors of the Anti-Discrimination Law, spoke about the adoption and implementation of the law, but also about the emergence and implementation of the law in other European countries. Additionally, the topic of aligning the law with the principles of antidiscrimination was also mentioned.
Sanel Huskić gave a lecture on public advocacy as an important segment of the fight against discrimination. The participants and the lecturer tried to find the best way to advocate for change in their local community. Recognized PR, Una Bejtović spoke about the connection between public relations and human rights, and how to present project activities to the media, as well as how to present their ideas and NGOs in which the participants are active.
In addition to lectures, students also had exercises on these topics, specific assignments, in order to apply the lessons learned. The two-day training was completed with certificates on completion and evaluation.
