Serbian film tells of children's rights in Balkan region

"Equals", a film about rights of children in the Balkan region, was well received by audience on Sunday at the ongoing Sarajevo Film Festival.

The film from Serbia dealt with such social issues as child molesting, sexual abuse, juvenile delinquency as well as forced marriage.

It was made up of several emotional stories, each of them pointing the finger at a society which failed to provide enough help for the children during their growing-up.

All directors and crews worked for the film without any payment. As one of directors, Igor Stoimenov, put it: "All my friends work for free. I hope it does not look like a movie without investment of money".

One story in the omnibus told of parents' divorce as well as sexual abuse of children in the family, a sensitive issue in the region.

Although there were laws in every country in the Balkan region against the crime, many of the abusers were not charged because many families did not report it to the authority.

Other stories dealt with children with special needs, like the disabled. Some of these children did not receive enough help from the society and people paid little attention to them.

Through individual stories of boys and girls who grew up in harsh living and social circumstances, the omnibus "Equals" showed the problems and difficulties facing children.