The Breza Municipal Council will finally review the Initiative on Introducing Priority Rights for Parents/Guardians of Children and Persons with Developmental Disabilities in public institutions and enterprises founded by the Municipality of Breza during its session scheduled for Friday, November 14, 2025. The initiative was submitted back in June by the NGO Center for Positive Practice, as part of the campaign “Give Priority Even When You (Don’t) See the Reason”, implemented with PRAGG support.

According to the Breza Center for Social Work, the right to priority access to public services would benefit 51 children and adults with developmental disabilities, as well as their parents and guardians. This right would also extend to all persons with developmental disabilities who find themselves in the Breza area.

For many families, this initiative represents far more than an administrative decision.

“My son has been diagnosed with autism, and we face difficulties every day in public institutions because waiting is a major challenge. He doesn’t understand that he has to stand still in line—he gets nervous, agitated, starts hitting or biting me. People around us usually react with judgment, seeing him as a spoiled child and me as a bad mother. Priority in queues would bring relief to both me and my son,”
says Amina Dinarević, mother of a boy with autism from Breza.
Ilma Omerhodžić, psychologist at the Breza Center for Social Work and president of the Center for Positive Practice, emphasizes that adopting the initiative would bring tangible improvements to the lives of its beneficiaries:

“I work with parents of children with developmental disabilities every day. I see how difficult it is for them. What’s a routine for most of us is a real struggle for them. Children with autism can’t stand still in lines—they get scared, react intensely, cry, scream, or become aggressive. Parents often feel ashamed because people stare at them as if something is wrong. This initiative is not a privilege—it’s a way to make their everyday lives easier and reduce the stress they endure daily. When we give them the right not to wait in lines, we’re actually giving them a moment of peace. And that’s something everyone deserves.”
The “Give Priority Even When You (Don’t) See the Reason” campaign has received broad support from the local community. Numerous private companies—including Bingo Shopping Center, JU Apoteke Sarajevo, Autodijelovi Start Breza, Ninac Bookstore, Motel Bosnia, and others—have already joined the initiative, highlighting the importance of shared responsibility toward people with developmental disabilities.

In recent days, students from Breza’s primary and secondary schools, as well as well-known local figures—writer and pianist Emina Smailbegović, Radio Breza editor-in-chief Despot Mojsilović, singer Harun Mehmedagić, actress Selma Ćosić, and others—have expressed their support for the campaign through performances held at the town square.

This initiative calls for a simple yet deeply meaningful change—to give priority to those who truly need it, even when the reason may not be immediately visible.

More information about the campaign and upcoming activities is available on social media at @centarpozitivneprakse.

This campaign is part of the PRAGG Project, funded by the Government of Switzerland and implemented by a consortium consisting of HELVETAS and NIRAS, in partnership with local partners Centres for Civil Initiatives (CCI) and the Institute for Youth Development KULT.