Protecting Childhood: OSCE Hosts Roundtable on Early Marriages and Child Labour

12 June 2025, Sarajevo – On the World Day Against Child Labour, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina hosted a roundtable in Sarajevo titled “Challenges and Gaps in the Institutional Response to Child Labour and Early Marriages”, aimed at strengthening protections for vulnerable children, particularly from early marriage, child labour, and trafficking.

The event gathered representatives of institutions, parliamentarians, civil society, Roma and women’s rights advocates, academics, and professionals to address the urgent need for coordinated and preventative measures.

“Early marriage robs children—especially girls—of their childhood, education, health, and future,” said Rebecca Agule, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH’s Human Dimension Department. “No child should be burdened with responsibilities that belong to adulthood. Let us reaffirm our commitment to protecting every child’s dignity and well-being, laying the foundation for a just society.”

The roundtable also spotlighted the disproportionate impact on Roma girls and promoted the newly launched publication “Out of the Shadows: Addressing the Dynamics of Trafficking in Persons Belonging to Minorities, including National Minorities.” Discussions explored the effectiveness of the existing legal framework and shared NGO experiences in combatting early marriages.

“Arranged underage marriages are not a Roma tradition,” said Indira Bajramović, Director of the Association “Bolja budućnost”. “These practices are increasingly present in non-Roma communities as well. This is not a Roma issue—it’s a societal one, and we all must act to end it.”

This activity is part of the OSCE Mission to BiH’s ongoing efforts to support child protection, promote human rights and anti-trafficking efforts, and advance institutional responses in line with OSCE commitments.