Progress made in the drafting of the Protocol for monitoring of the Strategy to combat violence against children in BiH 2011-14

Representatives of Vesta Association, Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees BiH and the Network of organisations ''Stronger voice for children'' held a working meeting on 30 January 2012 at the Ministry in Sarajevo. Steps were agreed in this meeting for a quality and more applicable way of producing the Protocol for monitoring of the Strategy to combat violence against children in BiH 2011-2014, which is in its final stages. The meeting was chaired by dr. Elmedin Muratbegović, thematic expert who is drafting the said Protocol.

The Protocol is currently in the form of a draft, and being improved in close consultations with partners on the project and the NGO Network. Finalising of this document will be possible once the Strategy 2011-2014 that it is based on is adopted.

The working meeting was held as part of the project ''Strengthening the role of civil society organisations in the monitoring of the state Strategy to combat violence against children in BiH 2011-2014''.

The project's imlementation period is 36 months and will be implemented in Bosnia and Herzegovina with the financial support of the European Union, through the European Instrument for Democracy and Human Rights (EIDHR). The project's associate is the BiH Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees.

This project's intention is to achieve civil society organisations' recognition on the basis of their contribution to promotion of human rights, by participating in the monitoring of the state Strategy to combat violence against children in BiH (hereinfter State Strategy), and by publishing their findings in the shadow report on implementation of the State strategy. Together with the Report to be produced by the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees, the Shadow Report will be submitted to the UN Committee for Rights of the Child.