We lost Mahir: STOP violence and abuse of children! Because it concerns us!

The BiH Parliament, BiH Council of Ministers, KS Prosecutor's Office, KS Government, KS Ministry of Education, KS MoI, KS Ministry of Justice, well-known BiH journalists, artists, and representatives of non-governmental organizations, prompted by the suicide of 15-year-old Mahir Rakovac, have issued an appeal and launched an online petition demanding amendments to the Law (which is yet to be implemented) in order to finally stop violence and abuse of children, writes the Patria News Agency.

STOP violence and abuse of children! Because it concerns us! We have lost another young life – the boy Mahir, who was brutally abused by a group of peers.

Let's prevent new tragedies! We appeal for all responsible parties to be identified and sanctioned… direct perpetrators, instigators, accomplices, as well as those who knew or suspected the permanent abuse of the boy Mahir and did not react in time. We also appeal for all measures to be urgently taken to create conditions for amendments to the Law on Juvenile Delinquency, with the aim of stricter sanctions for juvenile offenders.

Because it concerns us! STOP violence and abuse of children!

Signatories of the appeal are:

Lejla Zvizdić Arijana Saračević-Helać Borka Rudić Dunja Mijatović Haris Pašović Sanja Vlaisavljević Damir Marjanović Amra Zulfikarpašić Bakir Nakaš Damir Mašić Nikolina Veljović Belma Pećanin Ognjen Blagojević Igor Kamočaji Elameri Škrgić-Mikulić Faruk Vele Vesna Andree Zaimović Faruk Borić Samer Rešidat Nermina Omerbegović Vedrana Seksan Aleksandar Seksan Anila Gajević Maja Miralem Mersiha Drinjaković Elma Behram Maja Salkić Alma Dautbegović-Voloder Suzana Stambol Dejan Kukrić Dalal Midhat-Talakić Una Bejtović Aida Čorbadžić Enisa Skenderagić Dženana Burek Larisa Sarajlić-Ramović Emela Burdžović Elvedina Džakmić-Klempić Ljiljana Simić Dunja Jelovac Vanja Semić Vanja Iličić Arduana Pribinja Džena Zeničanin Faruk Čaluk Lejla Lojo Sanja Bagarić Brankica Rudan Aida Feraget Edina Latif. 

In just a few hours, more than 1,600 people signed the online petition tonight.