Professionals working with asylum seekers in Bosnia and Herzegovina are now better equipped to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and intersex (LGBTI) persons seeking protection in the country. A two-day workshop held in Delijaš on 16–17 September provided 17 participants with practical tools to identify and assess asylum claims based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC), and to address the specific protection needs of LGBTI persons.

The training responds to the reality that many LGBTI asylum seekers face when fleeing persecution in their home countries. It includes an additional level of discrimination and barriers that may be encountered during asylum procedures in transit or host countries. By strengthening the participants’ knowledge of international and European standards, the event aimed to ensure that asylum processes in Bosnia and Herzegovina uphold human rights and offer effective protection to all.

“In order to provide better standards for vulnerable categories and understand the needs of this group, it is very important for us, with the help of the European Union and the Council of Europe and their partners, to have organised this workshop intended for officials who directly and indirectly work with this vulnerable group in Bosnia and Herzegovina,” said Mustafa Pašalić, Head of the Acceptance and Programme Department with the BiH Ministry of Security’s Sector for Asylum.

The workshop was also an opportunity to present the online training course “LGBTI persons in the asylum procedure”, part of the Council of Europe’s Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) programme, which has recently adopted in Bosnian language. The course covers the legal framework, procedural aspects, and the rights of LGBTI persons in the asylum context.

These capacity building activities were organised within the framework of the European Union/Council of Europe project “Towards and equal, inclusive and tolerant BiH”, the Council of Europe project “Combating discrimination, hatred and racism in BiH” and under the project “Promoting Human Rights and Equality for LGBTI persons” implemented by the Council of Europe SOGIESC Unit and in partnership with the UNHCR and Sarajevo Open Centre.