In Bosnia and Herzegovina, more than 60 women have been killed by their current or former partners in the last six years, which amounts to one woman per month. All parts of society have an obligation to respond to this, it was said today in Sarajevo before the start of the session on femicide “United Call to Action” as part of the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign implemented by UN Women BiH.Bosnian travel packages
The “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign is a globally recognizable annual campaign that begins on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25 and runs until December 10, when Human Rights Day is celebrated. The aim of the campaign is to raise awareness and encourage action to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls worldwide.
The campaign is implemented under the slogan “Let’s turn off violence together” and with the messages #stopfemicide and #noexcuses.
Mersiha Zulčić, a representative of UN Women BiH, was a guest on the show Jutro za sve:
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“Femicide as the most extreme form of gender-based violence is unfortunately our everyday life, but it still does not have a legal qualification because the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina do not recognize this term. The Criminal Code contains the term domestic violence, but it is often treated as a misdemeanor, and this is one of the reasons why victims often do not report violence because the penalties are mild, even milder than those provided for by law,” said Rejhana Dervišević, Deputy Chairperson of the Commission for the Implementation of Gender Equality of the House of Representatives of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina (PSBiH), at a press conference.
Research shows that suspended sentences dominate the structure of imposed sanctions, and this is certainly one of the reasons why those who have committed violence commit it again.
“Therefore, there is a need to adopt clearer, positive legal norms and stricter sanctions that will be applicable in practice. However, in order for changes to occur, it is also necessary to change the mentality, we must start working on ourselves, we must, we are obliged as a society, to continuously review the value system in which we live and the practices we implement,” emphasized Dervišević.
Necessary systemic work
Samra Filipović Hadžiabdić, Director of the Agency for Gender Equality at the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also emphasized that it is necessary to work systematically on harmonizing the legislative institutional framework as well as strengthening institutions to provide an adequate response both in prevention and in the protection of victims of violence.
“We will continue to work because a lot has been done, initiated. However, it is necessary to continue this work at all levels of government organization in BiH. We will do this with the international community, UN organizations and our sister organization UN Women,” said Hadžiabdić.
Ingrid Macdonald, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bosnia and Herzegovina, recalled that this year marks the 25th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
“We are coming together around the world to end violence against women because there is no excuse or reason for violence against women. At the same time, every ten minutes a woman loses her life somewhere in the world and there is no excuse for such a thing. On this occasion, we are coming together to urgently respond now,” said Macdonald.
She also presented the devastating data on femicide in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
“In BiH, more than 60 women have been murdered in the last six years. They have been killed by their current or former partners. This actually leads to the figure of one woman per month who has lost her life. It is necessary to remind ourselves that all parts of society have an obligation to respond to this. Regardless of where they live, how much power they have, we can all respond to this,” said Macdonald.
Stop violence and take responsibility
She emphasized that violence must be stopped and taken responsibility for it. For this purpose, stronger laws and financial resources are needed to act against violence. If appropriate resources are not allocated, or these laws are not implemented, it will not be possible to stop violence.
“By the time I finish my speech, one woman will have lost her life to violence. This is precisely why we must cooperate, not only during the 16 days of activism, but continuously together with all partners, so that no woman lives in fear and so that we can make a difference, or ensure a just future,” said Macdonald, thanking UN Women for its close cooperation with the Ministry and Parliament, as well as for the cooperation of the European Union and Sweden.
Swedish Ambassador to BiH Helena Lagerlof emphasized that all violence can be prevented and that no form of violence is acceptable. As she said, if just one woman or girl suffers violence, or fear, that is too much because it means that society has failed.
Adebayo Babayide, Deputy Head of the EU Delegation to BiH, warned that legislation on gender equality is still not harmonised and improved across BiH, nor is it being implemented effectively.
“As a global initiative that unites us all in our common effort to eradicate violence against women and girls, the ’16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence’ campaign focuses this year on femicide. On a positive note, key legislative reforms have been announced in the Federation of BiH, including amendments to the Criminal Code and the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and Violence against Women,” said Babayide.
November 25th has been declared the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and should be marked by condemning all forms of gender-based violence, from domestic violence, rape, sexual harassment, to state-perpetrated violence, including torture and ill-treatment of women political prisoners, as they constitute human rights violations.
The “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” campaign aims to bring the human rights framework into focus and use it to ensure that state and non-state actors are held accountable for violence against women.
