On the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women – 25th November and as a contribution to the 16 days of activism against the gender-based violence campaign, the EU Info Centre in BiH, the Embassy of the French Republic to BiH, the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to BiH, the Heinrich Böll Foundation and MESS Festival organised the photo exhibition “Woman in Sarajevo under siege” by the renowned BiH photographer, Hidajet Delić capturing the daily life of women during the first year of siege of Sarajevo.
H.E. Claire Bodonyi, Ambassador of the French Republic to BiH noted the importance of education in tackling gender-based violence calling upon everybody to actively engage on this universal cause.
“In Bosnia and Herzegovina in the latest local elections only 26 out of 462 candidates for mayors were women. We all need to work together to strengthen the position of women in the society, both in political and economic terms”, Ambassador Bodonyi concluded.
H.E. Christiane Hohmann, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany to BiH reminded that a nonviolent and peaceful society is a precondition for less violence against women.
“Even though more than twenty years passed since these photos were taken, in many places around the world they are captured every day, and women, together with children, are most vulnerable groups in the war. A modern, stable, democratic society doesn’t have place for violence”, Ambassador Hohmann said.
Melvin Asin, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to BiH emphasised the role of the debate on the topic of gender-based violence.
“Creating an equal and violence-free society is crucial for all of us. It is important to build the EU that we all can be proud of. BiH needs to use the European path to reduce gender-based violence”, Asin stated.
Nihad Kreševljaković, curator of the exhibition and director of MESS Festival underlined the anti-war and universal message of the exhibition.
“Those conducting gender-based violence during the time of peace are in no way different than those that committed atrocities during the war. I believe that these photos convey a strong anti-war message to the world that doesn’t seem to learn from its mistakes”, Kreševljaković said.
The exhibition will be displayed and open for public in the EUIC premises until Friday, December 9th 2016 every working day from 09:00 to 17:30.
The ‘16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence’ campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world. This year’s campaign theme is: “Orange the world: Raise money to end violence against women”.
