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SARAJEVO, May 18 (FENA) - The results of the "Justice for Every Child" program were presented today at the final conference in Sarajevo, where participants stressed that children's access to justice has been improved in BiH.
Adviser to the BiH Minister of Justice Šimun Franjić pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina has made progress in protecting children's rights, primarily in terms of harmonizing the legislative framework with the Convention on the Rights of the Child, adopting strategic documents and action plans to better protect children. Also, a state-level coordinating body has been established to implement the Convention.
The Justice for Every Child program, which ran from 2010 to 2022, aimed to improve the application of international standards for children in BiH in order to better serve and protect them from the justice, security and social protection systems.
The Justice for Every Child Program is a partnership between the relevant Ministries of Justice, Social Welfare, Interior and Education at all levels (state, entity, cantonal), municipalities, universities and NGOs with the support of UNICEF and the governments of Switzerland and Sweden.
“Switzerland has supported this important program for 11 years. We are proud to have been able to contribute to the promotion of the Program, which is an important topic for children. We are now, in a way, handing over these achievements to the local authorities. I believe that the authorities will continue to work and ensure the sustainability of the results of the Program,” said the Ambassador of Switzerland to BiH Daniel Hunn.
The representative of the Swedish Embassy in BiH, Nedim Bukvić, stated that for the past ten years, the authorities in BiH have tried to reform the criminal legislation related to minors in accordance with international standards so that the judiciary can provide better services and better protection for children.
UNICEF Deputy Representative in BiH Veronika Vashchenko congratulated the BiH authorities on all reforms and achievements in the field of justice for children.
“Thanks to the Program, primarily laws and policies are harmonized with international standards. The contribution of all relevant institutions is immeasurable, such as the HJPC, state ministries, pedagogical and statistical institutes. I thank the governments of Switzerland and Sweden and their support is appreciated by many boys and girls, as well as families,” said Vashchenko.
The closing conference gathered about 150 participants to discuss the achievements and contributions of the Justice for Every Child program, and to exchange good practices on approaches to children in conflict with the law, protection of victims and witnesses of crime and prevention programs aimed at children at risk.
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