Although there is a belief in the public that women are less represented in all areas of activity in Bosnia and Herzegovina, indicators regarding the gender structure of officeholders in the BiH judiciary testify to the fact that there are exceptions and that women are significantly more represented in the justice sector. The available data show that out of 1,358 filled positions within judicial institutions in BiH, there are 831 women and 527 men.
The High Judicial and Prosecutorial Council of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HJPC BiH) forwarded these data to FENA in response to an inquiry about gender representation/equality within judicial institutions and on the occasion of the International Day of Women Judges, which is marked on March 10.
According to these data, women are more represented in almost all judicial institutions in BiH, as evidenced, among other things, by statistical indicators, according to which 25 female judges work in the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina compared to 21 male colleagues.
At the same time, in the FBiH Supreme Court, that ratio is 32 compared to 13 in favor of the female population, while in the Supreme Court of the RS, the ratio is 17 female judges to six male judges.
A total of 110 female judges and 38 male judges were engaged in positions in cantonal courts, and in district courts, the ratio is 46 to 24 in favor of female colleagues.
Similar trends are also present in municipal courts, where 253 female judges are employed compared to 157 male judges.
In the context of efforts to strengthen gender equality, it is important to note that the AIRE Center from London, with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom (UK), founded the Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network (GCJ Network) of women and men judges committed to advancing gender equality in the Western Balkans.
It is a network that brings together eminent judges from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Kosovo, who are engaged in improving the professional and personal development of female judges in the region.
The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Resolution 75/274 on April 28, 2021, which declared March 10 – the International Day of Women Judges to promote full and equal representation of women in the judiciary.
