Can I bargain with the Mayor?

Real men never hit women: OSCE Mission in Kosovo kicks off anti-domestic violence campaign. In PRISHTINË/PRIŠTINA, today, the OSCE Mission in Kosovo kicks off a public information campaign against domestic violence with a press conference in Prishtinë/Priština. The campaign dubbed “Real men never hit women” features two professional fighters: boxer Armend Xhoxhaj and kick-boxer Marko Božović. It includes TV spots and posters in both Albanian and Serbian languages. It will run for four weeks including the 16 Days of Activism against Violence against Women. The campaign aims to help prevent domestic violence, and urges the public and victims to report any cases when they occur to the Victim Advocates helpline: 0800 11 11 2.      The Head of the OSCE Regional Centre Prishtinë/Priština, Neil Tobin; Manager of the Victim Advocacy and Protection Office, Basri Kastrati; and Chief of the Domestic Violence Unit within Kosovo Police, Tahire Haxholli...

Fortunately, seventy years ago, the “Zigeunerlager”, or “Gypsy Camp”, at Auschwitz-Birkenau, was closed. Some 23.000 Roma and Sinti were murdered. This liquidation didn’t finish with racism in Europe. Today, many political leaders speak with racist rhetoric in public discourse. They don’t refrain from scapegoating Roma and Sinti communities. Then, this attitude can fuel anti-Roma sentiment in society. Those political leaders must understand the important role of leadership in combatting these attitudes. Public discourse still perpetuates old negative stereotypes against these people. In a number of countries in the Europe, Roma are portrayed as criminals or social outsiders. The crucial role of the media in constructing and perpetuating these negative images has recently been confirmed by a comprehensive study in Germany. These stereotypes must be countered, both to bring justice to the victims of the Roma and Sinti genocide, and to create a better future for Roma today. Publ...

Brčko District (pronounced [br̩̂t͡ʃkɔː]) in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina is a neutral, self-governing administrative unit, under the sovereignty of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is formally part of both BiH entities: the Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The seat of the district is the city of Brčko . The Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina today called upon the citizens of Brcko District to determine their citizenship before 28 August 2014.It’s a condition of vote in the upcoming general elections. He reminded citizens in Brcko District that they need to opt for one of the entity citizenships to be able to exercise their right to vote and run in the election. The citizens have one month left to act. They can do so in the office of the Brcko District Government or in 14 smaller offices across the District. This is an important issue. Citizens will be unable to fully enjoy their democratic right to vote because they fai...

The Ukrainian government needs the help of the OSCE. Alone, he can’t win. Then, the OSCE Permanent Council decided to extend the mandate of the OSCE Special Monitoring Mission (SMM) to Ukraine for a further six months. Maybe, the SMM will be able to continue to play its crucial role in assisting Ukraine in de-escalating measures. 57 States All participating States work together in the mission. They support financially and in terms of personnel. This consensus indicates that the scope for a co-operative solution to the Ukraine crisis persists among the 57 participating States even under the current challenging circumstances. The timely extension of the current mandate will expire on September 20, 2014. That allows the mission to operate uninterrupted. The value of impartially verified information and objective reporting on developments on the ground cannot be overestimated in tense and volatile situations. The SMM has also proven to be a useful facilitator of contacts...

Tensions remained in parts of Donbas. The situation was calm elsewhere across the country. In Kharkiv the situation remained calm.   The situation in parts of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions was tense and unchanged compared to the previous reporting period.   In the northern part of the Luhansk region, the Special Monitoring (Mission) SMM monitored four checkpoints, with the main focus on the checkpoint at the Svatovo-Severodonetsk junction. The SMM observed military traffic and talked to local residents going into the conflict zone as well as people leaving it. The SMM observed a bus with women and children from Rubezhnoye (100 km north of Luhansk). The SMM talked to passengers on several buses travelling to Svatovo and Lisychansk respectively. Most of the passengers, having spent some time away from the conflict zone, were going back to look after their elderly relatives, who had not left.   The SMM observed heavy military equipment being transported by ...