Special report: The Role of Social Welfare Centres in the Protection of Children

Special Report of the Human Rights Ombudsman on the role of the social welfare centres in the protection of the rights of the child was promoted today in Mostar. Special Report is the result of research conducted during 2013 in partnership between the Institution of Human Rights Ombudsman of BiH and Save the Children in order to get a more realistic picture and examine conditions of work of the social welfare centres in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) from the aspect of protection of the rights of the child.

Report was promoted by Assistant Ombudsman and Head of the Department for the protection of the rights of the child, Aleksandra Marin-Diklic, Mostar Social Welfare Centre Director Zora Dujmovic and Save the Children Child Rights Program Manager Ljiljana Sinickovic.

Ombudspersons have found it necessary to make such analysis as they have lobbied for years about the strengthening the capacities of social welfare centres. “Research confirmed that social welfare centres’ capacities are insufficient, especially when it comes to human resources, primarily with regard to qualified professionals, what needs to be addressed in the future if we want application of child rights to happen, and social welfare centres are the biggest link in that chain,” stated on this occasion Marin-Diklic from the Institution of Ombudsman.

Director of Mostar Social Welfare Centre Dujmovic expressed support to efforts of Save the Children and the Institution of the Ombudsman for Human Rights to ensure the rights of the child are respected, including groups of children that almost no one else is focusing on, such as children involved in begging, children in conflict divorces and other vulnerable groups of children. She considers research on the capacities of social welfare centres particularly important since it should have the long-term impact on improving the status of children and the protection of the rights of the child.

In order for this lobbying to gain bigger importance and be founded on real statistical indicators, the research was conducted with the ultimate aim to prepare this report and define recommendations to the competent authorities in order to strengthen the position of the social welfare centres.

"It is necessary to improve the efficiency of social services and to ensure that, with the available resources and capacities, social welfare centres reach the best possible results in the protection of the most vulnerable categories of the population, especially children. This is achievable if the principle of the best interests of the child is ensured, thereby ensuring timely and adequate response, and thus pre-empt and prevent negative occurrences such as violence against children, whose tragic consequences we have recently witnessed," emphasized Sinickovic from Save the Children.

You can download report here.