State of the World's Minorities 2006 - Bosnia and Herzegovina

If the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina are paying greater attention to the issues pertaining to national minorities, the record in each of the constituent federal entities is not improving. Isolated instances of political, ethnic or religious violence continue, as does discrimination against ethnic minorities. The political leadership at all levels continues to obstruct minority returns in certain localities, and the number of returns has decreased. Although the reconciliation process continues, there remains a lack of trust among ethnic groups, and especially hostility related to the return of refugees and displaced persons. Discrimination in employment and education remains a key obstacle to sustainable returns. Members of the ethnic majority are usually hired over minorities, and favouritism is shown to veterans and families of those killed during the war.

The government of Republic Srpska has supported the return of Bosniaks and Croats, and Bosniak returns to the Srebrenica area has increased. However, the Srpska government also supports integration of displaced Bosnian Serbs within the Republic, using the war veterans' budget and, at the municipal level, land allocations.

In 2002, a Law on the Protection of Rights of Persons Belonging to National Minorities was adopted and amendments to the Election Law were made. Unfortunately, the Election Law remains highly discriminatory as segments of the population are barred from running for some of the top offices. A Council of National Minorities and corresponding bodies at the level of the federal entities have been proposed but have not been set up, despite concrete legal obligations. While access to political posts remains governed by rigid rules at the federal state level, some progress has been made within the federal entities to widen access to certain authorities.

Students in minority areas frequently face a hostile environment in schools that do not provide an ethnically neutral setting. Obstruction by nationalist politicians and government officials has slowed international efforts to remove discriminatory material from textbooks, abolish school segregation and enact other needed reforms. The Inter-Entity Textbook Review Commission, reviewing textbooks from the so-called national group of subjects that were in use in all primary and secondary schools in the country in order to remove any discriminatory or objectionable material, has found that there are textbooks in use not subject to the review process containing material that is inappropriate. Even though an action plan on Roma educational needs has been elaborated, Roma continue to lack access to education. Even though Roma children are permitted to attend schools in all areas of the country, their attendance is low as a result of pressures from within their own community and from local non-Roma communities discouraging Roma children from attending school.