Sarajevo Open Centre trains Bosnian federal civil servants on protecting LGBTI people from discrimination

Sarajevo Open Centre (SOC), the leading LGBTI and women’s rights organisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, held a training session on 20 October for civil servants of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, one of the country’s two entities. It was organised together with the Federation’s Civil Service Agency.

The session covered discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. Its aim was to help public employees recognise, prevent and respond properly to discrimination against LGBTI people, with an emphasis on institutions’ duty to treat all citizens equally.

Law professor Midhat Izmirlija gave a lecture on Bosnia and Herzegovina’s legal framework for protection from discrimination, walking participants through the relevant legislation and the mechanisms available for protecting human rights.

The programme also included a “living library”, in which civil servants could talk directly with LGBTI people and hear about their personal experiences. According to the organisers, this opened up a frank discussion about prejudice, stereotypes and the forms of discrimination LGBTI people face.

SOC said it would continue working to strengthen institutions’ capacity to respond to discrimination. The activity was funded by Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through its 2026 fund for EU enlargement and European fundamental values.

Source: soc.ba. English adaptation: gay-serbia.com.