prijava
SARAJEVO, November 24 (FENA) - Women who have survived sexual violence need to be provided with legal protection and adequate support in order for their recovery to be complete, and everyone should contribute to this goal - decision-makers, institutions and non-governmental organizations. This is the message of the gathering in Sarajevo, which launched a campaign calling for an end to all forms of violence against women and girls.
The Director of the BiH Agency for Gender Equality, Samra Filipović Hadžiabdić, emphasized in a statement to reporters that the preliminary findings show that the penal legislation in BiH is not yet sufficiently harmonized with the Istanbul Convention on Combating Violence against Women and Girls. Bosnia and Herzegovina is a signatory to this document and is obliged to fulfill any obligations arising from it.
"We will intensify efforts on prevention, protection, access to victim protection services and uniform prosecution of perpetrators. At the state level, a committee has been established to monitor the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and femicide, and the opening of crisis centers has been initiated," she said. Work is also underway, she says, to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.
Swedish Ambassador to BiH Johanna Stromquist reminded of the right of every person to physical integrity and life without violence, as well as the need to have legislation in the field of prevention and fight against violence and enough money to implement it to ensure these rights.
UN Women Representative in BiH David Saunders emphasizes determination in the fight against violence against women, as well as condemnation and stigma by creating safe environments.
Statistics show that every second woman in BiH over the age of 15 has experienced some form of violence (including sexual violence). In 2019, 12 women were murdered, and the perpetrators were extramarital and marital partners.
"Excluding sexual violence against women and girls" is the message of the campaign that UN Women BiH, with the support of Sweden, conducted for the fifth year in a row, from November 25 to December 10 in BiH. It is part of the global campaign "16 days of activism against gender-based violence".
(FENA) S. R.
