Vranje – A series of forums on the problems of minorities in South Serbia will start in Bujanovac and Presevo on October 21, 2013, as part of the public campaign "We – Here", which is committed to improving public awareness about the importance of respecting the rights of minorities.

The first in a planned series of forums will be held during the civic education classes at the "Sveti Sava" secondary school  in Bujanovac and at the "Skanderbeg" secondary school in Presevo, while the President of the Independent Journalists' Association of Serbia and the Director of the independent weekly "News from Vranje", Vukasin Obradovic, will participate in it.

Students will have the opportunity to learn, through an open dialogue, more about the conflicts that were occurring in the wider region of South Serbia as of the late 1990s.  

In the coming months, 12 forums will be held during which experts will present to the pupils of six secondary schools in four southern Serbian municipalities the ways in which one can contribute to the improvement of minority rights.

The "We – Here" campaign began by marking the World Day of Peace in Bujanovac on  September 21, 2013, and by displaying an exhibition of street photographs "War Stories".  

"The exhibition presents the photographs of Marija Jankovic from Belgrade, which deal with the topic of war and the pointlessness of war," said Nikola Janjic from the "Generator" organization, which implements the project.  

Nevertheless, the campaign is part of the project "Equalize Me" that was launched in April 2013 and that will last in the municipalities of Presevo, Bujanovac, Vranje and Vladicin Han for a year.

The project focuses on minority groups that are most discriminated against in  South Serbia, ethnic minorities, women, LGBT people and people with disabilities. 

Source: OK Radio and the Coordination Body