In order to promote and protect women”s rights, and to eliminate discrimination against women with a particular focus on women and girls within marginalized and minority groups in ten municipalities in B&H, the European Union is funding the project “Women”s Rights – An Agenda for Positive Change”, implemented by the CURE Foundation (CURE) and the Foundation for Women’s Empowerment (FWE).
As part of the project, a workshop was organized in Sarajevo in cooperation with the group “Special Moms” on February 21st. It was then talked about strengthening this group and the problems that its members faced. But shortly after the workshop, a pandemic of new coronavirus Covid-19 was declared, and anything accompanying the crisis is sure to hit women especially those from minority and marginalized groups including these moms whose isolation did not begin by declaring a state of emergency.
Administrator and founder of this informal women”s group “Special Mom” Anela Kozica says that the group was founded three years ago and it brings together about 1,600 mothers of children with disabilities and parents of children who have passed away from all over the country.
Group members support one another in many challenges they are facing. These mothers are not able to get a job because they have to be available for their children, and also there is no specialized kindergartens in B&H where they could leave their children, but also they are often stigmatized by employers.
– As for the new situation regarding the pandemic, I have to emphasize that “Special Moms” do very well in some things, but not in others. Mothers of children with disabilities are used to live in isolation and rely on themselves because they have never had society support. Some of them found it very difficult to be
isolated due to the fact that isolation can cause aggressive and self-aggressive behavior in children. Some mothers, even after allowing children with disabilities to go out 100 meters from their place of residence, still are not taking their children outside since they are in fear for their child”s life. The biggest problem
now is the unavailability of certain antiepileptic drugs for our children – said Anela.
Since “Special Moms” are an informal group of women who mainly operate through social networks, Anela points out that they have been available one to another before, and most of all now, the greatest help and support, both moral and in the supply of basic medicines, diapers and special foods.
She stressed out that in families where child with developmental disabilities was born, in 70 percent of cases parents goes through divorce, leaving single parents alone with lack of support from a partner.
– In these other 30 percent of cases we have a devastating fact that even before the pandemic occurs, mothers, who are often abused by their partners because they live in constant isolation, are unable to work because they have to take care of a child 24-hours a day. Due to that fact they are financially dependent on their partner, and their home has never been a safety place even before the pandemic – explains Anela.
She emphasized that children with disabilities generally have a wide range of other health problems, mainly respiratory and cardiac problems, and therefore, if parents are forced to work, they are much more likely to become infected because their child is unlikely to survive the disease.
– I am proud of the association “Give us a chance”, which has taken the initiative that if both parents work one has the opportunity to stay home without reducing the amount of salary – says Anela.
She said that she is also proud of “Special Moms” in general, who are always very well-managing without the support of the system, which has been missing for years, but they help each other, donate special foods, medicines or diapers.
– We always try to help those mothers who are in a difficult financial situation. Help always goes through one of the group administrators. If a mother is not able to buy food, hygiene or medicines, we somehow organize and in a short period of time collect everything that the mother and the child need – said Anela.
– “Special moms” are pharmacists without a diploma. One mother, without the support of a doctor, was powerless to treat decubitus in her child, and other mothers helped her with tips, medications and creams.
That’s us – we are the strongest – adds Anela.
She urged everyone to be patient because all of this will be over soon, and when that happens and when everyone continues their lives, she call them to remember those whose isolation did not begin with the coronavirus pandemic and whose isolation did not end with its termination.
