Perspectives of Return Sustainability in Rural Areas of Podrinje

Abstract

The return of refugees and internally displaced persons is an activity in which all individuals are provided with the opportunity to return voluntarily, safely and with dignity to their homes that they had to leave during the conflict. Even after more than a decade, the problem of refugees and internally displaced persons is generally very topical [1]. Even eighteen years after the war, there are still many problems related to IDPs. It’s not just the return process that’s problematic. Displaced persons face various challenges related to access to employment, public services, education and infrastructure [2]. In Bosnia and Herzegovina (hereinafter BiH), during the 1992-1995 war, 2.2 million people were forced to flee their homes [3]. Upon return, returnees should seek restitution or compensation and should receive strong reintegration and rehabilitation support to build a livelihood and contribute to long-term economic and political development. Safe and voluntary return includes a guarantee of return choices and security for those who choose to return. The aim of the study was to examine the views of returnees on the problems in society faced by the population / returnees in three different time periods, in 1992, after return and today, to improve the conditions for sustainable return. Unemployment is ranked in the top three as the most significant problem of the population returning to their homes. The justice system, the problem of minorities, public funding, security, the slow EU accession process and climate change are not considered by returnees as significant problems for sustainable return.