Draft Law on Protection of Civilian War Victims in FBiH Adopted

(Patria) - The Draft Law on the Protection of Civilian War Victims in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was adopted at today's session of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH. This law has been in the works for five years, and civilian war victims have been waiting for it for 30 years.

Now it is up to the House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH to adopt the law in the same text for it to enter into force on January 1, 2024.

- This is one of the most important laws in this mandate. One of the first meetings was with women raped during the war. They told me, "Minister, we will help you pass this law to correct the injustice that has lasted for 30 or more years towards all victims." During the war operations, the greatest victims were civilians. I come from a city, Sarajevo, which paid the highest price, 1,601 innocent children were killed. Everyone should know that, a city that was under siege for 44 months and was hit by 3,000 shells daily during the war. You should keep that in mind when voting - said the Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy Adnan Delić in his address to the representatives.

This law establishes the basic principles of protection for civilian war victims, the definition and status of a civilian war victim, the types of rights, the scope and conditions under which these rights are realized, the purpose of paying monetary compensation for recognized rights, as well as the procedure for realization and financing, and other issues of significance for the protection of civilian war victims in the Federation of BiH.

It should be noted that several amendments by the HDZ were rejected, and almost all representatives stated that such a law was needed.