One of the most difficult issues in the last few years has been the issue of limiting hate speech in schools. Project "Fight against anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and xenophobia in the public education system", implemented by the Association "La Benevolencija" with the support of the European Union and the Council of Europe, showed that it is necessary for school staff to work intensively on education that is not based on discriminatory grounds, and to socialise students to live in a heterogeneous community, while respecting the right to freedom of speech.

As a sum of workshops and lectures held in five Sarajevo primary and secondary schools, there was a general impression that the perpetuation of silence on existing problems, both by teachers and students, may be a more significant problem that we will have to deal with in the coming period.

As an example of the positive effect of the project, the exhibition of students works from "High School of Textiles and Design" on the topic of hate speech was presented at the Sarajevo gallery "Novi Hram". Through these works the students had the opportunity to show how they understood the problem that was presented during the workshops over the past month.

„I think it would be good that we also gave lectures in schools with the exhibition and to talk more about discrimination, because in our society it is a big joke. I would love to have the opportunity to express my opinion and to stand behind what I believe in. In our school, only in the third grade we get subjects (sociology and democracy) where we learn about human rights, and where we can comment and lead conversations on these topics. Before that, it is never mentioned even in the class gatherings with a head teacher, and even when it was, it would be a very short conversation“, said student Emela Šarić, from the High School of Textile, Leather and Design.

The students showed that is possible to think differently about these topics, and leading by their own example they expressed that that we must work to improve the world in which we live. The exhibition was an excellent indicator of how the lectures and workshops were successful, despite all the challenges they were facing. After the exhibition, Timur Hrustemović, a student at the High School of Textile, Leather and Design, pointed out:

„My impression is that we need to understand how much hate speech can affect an individual or a certain group of people. It creates insecurity in an individual or within a certain minority, while people who observe such speech begin to develop hatred towards those who are humiliated in this case. Us, witnessing this kind of situation, need to seize the opportunity and stop the hatred. Hate speech will be stopped by reporting it to the authorities. In the lectures I have learned that we must not allow anyone to be humiliated or to allow others to humiliate us.“

The project contributed to the students' awareness of the importance of critical thinking.

„The workshops broadened my horizons on this topic. My friends and I learned new things about the Holocaust in lectures that we didn't know before. After that, we had workshops on human rights at school, so we used the knowledge from the lectures. It seems to me that we all came to the workshop with a certain amount of xenophobia, but in the end that certainly changed“, said Andrea Vujović, a student of „KŠC Opća - realna gimnazija“.

The workshops helped students become aware of the need to understand others and not assess people through segregation filters.

„During the activities, the lecturers brought the topic of hate speech closer to us in an interesting way. I began to look at the people around me differently, realising that their ethnic or religious affiliation was by no means crucial to my impression of them“, states Ana Vajzović, a student of „KŠC Opća - realna gimnazija“.

Education has a very important role in the combating hate speech, and it should be at the forefront of all systems combating this scourge. The education system in Bosnia and Herzegovina is very complex, and additional efforts are needed to provide appropriate guidance for both teachers and students. Awareness of the dangers and consequences of hate speech in Bosnia and Herzegovina is not sufficiently developed, which leaves room for immediate action.

„I think it is important to expand such workshops to other schools in Sarajevo, even in other, smaller cities. Unfortunately, students who live in smaller places are often deprived of knowledge on these topics, especially the Holocaust, and I think it is very important that workshops of this kind are extended to these schools“, points out Dejan Garić, history teacher at „KŠC Opća - realna gimnazija“.

Education about hate speech and its prevention is an important instance in combating divisions. Establishing a model of training in education that will prevent the spread of racial, religious and all other forms of exclusion as soon as possible is of existential importance for the future of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Only in this way it is possible to think about a society that nurtures basic human values.

Association “La Benevolencija” is a subgrantee of the joint programme of the European Union and the Council of Europe "Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022". The views expressed in this text are the responsibility of the author can in no way be taken to reflect the official opinion of either party.