Institutional Response to Domestic Violence: Joint Session Highlights Need for Systemic Change

Systemic change requires meaningful and proactive engagement by those decision-makers and institutions across all levels of governance mandated to respond to domestic violence and gender-based violence, including violence against women. Today’s joint session of the parliamentary committees of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) on the Institutional Response to Domestic Violence and Violence against Women was an important step in making those changes.

Today's session was organized in co-operation with four relevant parliamentary committees, namely, the committees for gender equality of both houses, the Committee for Security of the House of Representatives, and the Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms of the House of Peoples. Supported by the OSCE Mission to BiH, this joint effort reflects a domestic and international commitment to enhance institutional responses to domestic and gender-based violence cases.

Following the joint session, Ambassador Brian Aggeler, Head of the OSCE Mission to BiH, concluded that “We must not take progress on gender equality for granted; we must not put our guard down in pursuit of a more just and equal world. This is about all of us, because security and safety in society are impossible if all of us are not safe and secure and domestic and gender-based violence are eliminated.”

The suggested conclusions from the thematic session, which will be the subject of discussion and deliberation in the committees in the coming weeks, read as follows:

1. The Gender Centre of the Federation of BiH is tasked with preparing and submitting to the FBiH Parliament an overview of the Council of Europe Committee of the Party and GREVIO recommendations and plans for their implementation in FBiH.
2. FBiH Parliament shall urgently adopt the Strategy of Prevention of Domestic Violence 2024 – 2027 in the Federation of BiH as an overarching strategic document for improvement of institutional response to domestic violence and violence against women.
3. FBiH Government shall urgently prepare and submit the FBiH Parliament revised legal framework for protection against domestic violence and violence against women harmonized with international conventions.
4. The Gender Centre of the Federation of BiH Government shall establish a biannual coordination between domestic and international institutions and organizations focusing on the activities for the implementation of the Strategy of Prevention of Domestic Violence 2024 – 2027 and GREVIO recommendations.
5. Four committees of the FBiH Parliament will organize two joint thematic sessions, focusing on the justice sector response to domestic violence and comprehensive support for victims, including vulnerable groups.