Ensuring Accountability for Domestic Violence

This paper provides an analysis of sentencing practices of Bosnia and Herzegovina's courts in domestic violence criminal proceedings, based on the Mission’s monitoring findings. After a review of relevant international standards and the national legal framework on domestic violence, it analyses in detail: the types of sanctions applied, the mitigating and aggravating circumstances considered by the court, the legal mechanisms of warrant for pronouncement of sentence and plea agreements, and compensation awards to victims. It also formulates a number of recommendations for judges and prosecutors dealing with domestic violence cases.