Bosnia and Herzegovina
It has been more than a decade since the Bosnian war ended in 1995. The Dayton Peace Agreement established Bosnia and Herzegovina (BIH) as a state with limited central power, and assigned competency for social, educational, health care and fiscal policies to many levels of government and administration, including the state level, the two entities (Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and its 10 Cantons) , and the District of Brcko. The Office of the High Representative (OHR) oversees the implementation of the Peace Agreement with the authority to exercise executive powers, including law-making. With the reconstruction mostly completed, the country is grappling with post-war political structures and socio-economic transition. This situation directly affects the wellbeing of children of Poverty affects many dimensions of children’s rights. Children in BIH are at the most risk of living below the poverty line; more than 30 per cent of the poor are under 18 years of age. The weak economy impedes the progressive realization of social and economic rights. Despite signs of renewed economic growth and reduced inflation, the gross national income per capita of $1,270 is still considerably less than the pre-war level. Although the extreme poverty does not exist, one fifth of the population lives below the poverty line, and almost 50 percent just above it. Every third child lives in a poor family. Poverty is closely linked to discrimination, and many poor and vulnerable children are from families who experience discrimination on grounds of ethnicity, political affiliation, status - as internally displaced persons (IDPs) or returnees, their residence in rural areas, gender or disability.
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