This month , the Institute for Youth Development KULT collaborated with JU General Gymnasium “Bosanska Krupa” and JU First Bosniak Gymnasium to jointly celebrate Orange Day – the day to combat violence against women and girls.
Representatives of the Institute visited the First Bosniak High School in Sarajevo and held a workshop on this topic. Students were discussed about types of violence, ways of prevention and raising awareness in society. The students had many questions and dilemmas and concluded that only together we can fight and prevent this problem.
After the workshop, the students, very interested and motivated to educate their peers about this topic in the future, shared their experiences: “The workshop held by representatives of the Institute for Youth Development KULT was very instructive. Given that we are working on a project on the topic of femicide, the information they presented to us was very useful. In addition, they informed us about statistics and thus enabled us to better understand cases of domestic violence” , said student Samra Murtić.
“Through education and interactive activities, we have created a space for a deeper understanding of the causes and consequences of this problem. This reminded us of the importance of recognizing and condemning violence against women and encouraged us to think about our role in the fight against violence. The workshop was indeed not only educational, but also inspiring, reminding us that each of us has an important role in creating a safer society” , said student Hanadi Parla.
Professor of philosophy and sociology, Anisa Džubur, also shared her impressions: “Gender inequality and violence against women and girls is a serious problem today, but we, listening to the representatives of the Institute, left with more optimism and trust in the non-governmental sector, which invests enormous effort in addressing social problems.” . We learned that each of us has a duty and obligation to report violence and thus create zero tolerance for violence. We solved an interesting quiz, interactively collaborated with our lecturers, and thus created a pleasant working environment from which we left enriched with new knowledge. Thank you!”
Understanding and emphasizing the importance of this topic, the students of the “Bosanska Krupa” General High School, together with professor Amna Dervišagić, organized an exhibition of fractals in the corridor of the school dominated by the color orange, and the exhibition will be open to all visitors for the next seven days and will remain as a permanent exhibition in school.
In addition to the exhibition, the students participated in various activities – drawing orange butterflies on their hands under the slogan “When a butterfly flaps its wings, the breeze travels around the world”, thus conveying the message that it is important to speak up, “flap your wings” and thus inform your community about the importance of the struggle against every form of violence and to motivate joint action. In order to make their contribution, the students wrote and sent messages of support to all victims of violence and wore orange clothes.
“Violence against women and girls is unfortunately a problem for the entire society. This problem must be prevented, it is one of the most frequent violations of human rights, it is a threat to women’s lives and endangers their physical and mental health, and it is a direct threat to the safety of their children. The purpose of all forms of violence is to exercise control and assert power. Unlike physical violence, psychological violence is often not recognized by women and girls, it manifests itself in different ways, and includes humiliating and insulting comments, discrimination and ridicule. Another very serious problem is the transmission of violent behavior and trauma to the following generations. All this motivated me to “sweep our wings” and start a story about violence and the fight against violence in our community, to motivate girls to confide in each other, talk and start initiating changes” , said Professor Amna Dervišagić, whose idea is this activity.
The students of this school also shared their impressions of the importance of such activities: “Orange Day is an important call to action that highlights the urgent need to end violence against women and girls – it symbolizes a brighter future, free from gender-based violence and serves as a reminder that abuse in any form is unacceptable. The activities we carried out are not only for the purpose of raising awareness, it is about taking concrete actions to inform the community. Together, we can create a world where respect and dignity prevail. The students of our school marked this day in a beautiful way, sharing short motivational messages. A friend drew orange butterflies on our hands to wear as a reminder that we should be supportive” , said Eyla Bužimkić.
“Violence leaves lasting scars on individuals and communities, but together we can bring about change and create a world without fear and violence. As part of our activities, we wore orange as a symbol of support for victims of violence, but also as a reminder that we are together in the fight against violence. Orange Day is not just one day of the year, but a call to continuous action and engagement ,” said student Hana Bužimkić.
“Violence against women is unacceptable and we must fight against it together. All women deserve safety, respect and equality. I stand with all women who have survived violence and support efforts to stop this injustice ,” added student Lamija Toroman.
The Institute for Youth Development KULT has been working for years on the promotion and protection of basic human rights, and in particular points out the problem of violence against women and girls, and celebrates Orange Day every 25th of the month. Through various campaigns and activities, the Institute informs the public about the presence of violence against women and girls and educates young people about gender equality, but also provides support to various actors in BiH in the implementation of activities that will inform the population about this important problem.
Source: mladi.org
