The Association for Assistance to Persons with Autism “Children of Light” from Banja Luka, together with its project partner, the association “A Different World,” organized a public forum on June 13, 2025, in the Cultural Center in Bijeljina. The topic of the forum was “Improving the Position of Children with Developmental Disabilities and Their Parents.”

The goals of the forum were to present the work of both associations and to advocate for amendments to the legal provision that limits the rights of parent-caregivers to the child’s 30th year of life.

Speakers at the forum included: Olivera Davidović Knežić (MSc in Psychology and Project Coordinator) and Daniela Višnjić (Legal Advisor).

The forum was supported by citizens, parent-caregivers, members of the association “A Different World,” representatives of the City of Bijeljina, civil society representatives, and others.

A mother from Bijeljina, Ika Stevanović, stated:
“I’m the parent of a 40-year-old child and I’m not entitled to compensation. I would like to meet the person who passed that law and ask them – did they decide that our children shouldn’t live past the age of 30? The older the child, the harder it gets. Instead of helping us more, they’re making things harder for us!”

The conclusions of the public forum are as follows:

The age limit for exercising the right to be a parent-caregiver must be abolished.
As children with developmental difficulties grow older, their problems become more complex, while support decreases – this must not be allowed to happen.
Parents will individually sign a constitutional initiative to challenge the constitutionality of the disputed provision of Article 36a, paragraph (1) of the Law on Child Protection of the Republic of Srpska, which states: “no longer than until the child turns 30,” and submit it to the Constitutional Court of the Republic of Srpska.
The association “Children of Light” from Banja Luka emphasizes that parents of children with developmental difficulties are entitled to free legal support in the process of acquiring the parent-caregiver status.
“In line with this, we invite all parents to contact us so that we can initiate as many procedures as possible for the realization of this right – especially those who previously held this right but lost it due to their child’s education,” the association stated.