The Three Promises We Must Keep to Every Child in Bosnia and Herzegovina

On World Children’s Day, we turn our eyes toward the future. Yet in Bosnia and Herzegovina, that future for many children remains uncertain. Year after year, we witness the same troubling patterns: the most vulnerable children are left behind, their potential suppressed by fragmented, underfunded, and slow-moving systems.

At UNICEF, we hold that every child’s future depends on three vital promises: a strong start in their earliest years, quality skills for a fulfilling life, and a safe, protected childhood. As we celebrate, we also must face the difficult truth that for thousands of children in Bosnia and Herzegovina, these promises are not being fulfilled.

The Promise of a Strong FOUNDATION

A child’s foundation is built on good health, nutrition, early learning and a supportive family environment. However, our data reveals that this foundation is crumbling for the most vulnerable. The children, especially those with disabilities, remain in large institutions instead of growing up in families. This practice, which has been proven to harm cognitive and emotional development, continues even though authorities have agreed on a clear roadmap for deinstitutionalization.

Additionally, children from Roma communities and those living in rural poverty often slip through the cracks of health and social protection systems. They face obstacles to basic services that should be their rights, not privileges. The preschool enrollment rate for children from the age 3-5 is one of the lowest in Europe. No child can build a secure future on such shaky ground.

The Promise of Quality SKILLS

Education is meant to be the great equalizer, but in Bosnia and Herzegovina, it often deepens inequality. The system remains plagued by segregation and fails to prepare children for the demands of the modern world. The divisive practice of “two schools under one roof” continues, separating children along ethnic lines. Meanwhile, children with disabilities are too often denied inclusive education, lacking access to teaching assistants, tailored support, and the simple right to learn with their peers.

More than half of students in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not reach basic proficiency levels and over one third of 14-year-olds lack even basic digital skills.

The result is a widespread skills gap. Young people are leaving school without the competencies they need to succeed. This is echoed in international reports, which consistently identify a serious mismatch between what is taught in schools and the needs of the labor market. By not equipping this generation with essential tools, we are fueling youth unemployment and growing disillusionment.

The Promise of SAFEGUARDING

Every child has the right to protection from violence, exploitation, and neglect. Yet, child protection systems in Bosnia and Herzegovina are fragmented and under-resourced. Violence against children remains an unseen crisis. Without comprehensive national data and accessible services, many cases go unreported and unresolved. To fulfill the promise we must look beyond physical protection and safeguard children's emotional well-being and their right to a family environment. A deeply concerning number of adolescents are struggling with their mental health, voicing a clear need for more support, yet they face a system where accessible, confidential services are scarce. Furthermore, true safety begins with a loving family. The fact that a significant portion of children without parental care still live in institutions, rather than in family-based settings, is a collective failure. Finally, a child's safety is undermined by economic insecurity. The stark disparities in child allowance across different regions create an unfair postcode lottery for families. Harmonizing these benefits to ensure a minimum standard of support for every child, regardless of their address, is a critical step toward a truly protective environment.

A Call for Unity and Urgent Action

Amidst these challenges, we also see progress that proves the change is possible. For instance, the recent endorsement by both entities and the Brčko District of roadmaps for de-institutionalisation, developed in cooperation with UNICEF, marks a significant and welcome commitment. This provides a clear, agreed-upon path forward to move children from care institutions into family-based care. It is a testament to what can be achieved through dialogue and a shared focus on children's rights, and it serves as a powerful model for the kind of coordinated, country-wide action we need to see on all issues affecting children.

The solutions demand political will, coordinated action, and a renewed commitment to prioritize children. On this World Children’s Day, we urge leaders at all levels of government to:

• Fulfill the Promise of Foundation: Invest in community-based services and support families so that every child can have a strong start in life. To ensure this foundation is equitable, we must combat the discrimination that limits girls' access to sexual and reproductive healthcare and harmonize maternity leave benefits to support young mothers. We must also strengthen social protection to lift families out of poverty and urgently align laws to end gender-based violence, which poses a direct threat to the safety of women and children.
• Fulfill the Promise of Skills: Invest in inclusive, high-quality education that provides all children regardless of background or ability with the skills they need to thrive. To ensure it empowers every girl and boy, we must actively encourage girls into STEM fields, break down harmful stereotypes in textbooks and teaching, and integrate comprehensive life-skills education on health and rights.
• Fulfill the Promise of Safety: Strengthen child protection systems in every community. Prioritize violence prevention and ensure that whenever a child is at risk, a skilled and responsive system is there to protect them. A gender-responsive safety system must protect girls from harmful practices and ensure public spaces and schools are free from harassment. It must also support boys' emotional well-being by challenging norms that discourage them from seeking help, and provide accessible, youth-friendly mental health services for all adolescents.