prijava
SARAJEVO, October 25 (FENA) - As part of the project "Let's break the silence - improving the response to sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina", implemented by the Lara Foundation in partnership with the Foundation for Local Democracy, with the support of the UN Women Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the financial support of the Swedish Government, the event "Meeting with journalists with the aim of properly informing the public about sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina" was organized today.
As it was pointed out at today's press conference, the event is organized with the aim of pointing out the importance of media support in BiH in efforts to reach the final adoption of changes to the FBiH Criminal Code, which will be harmonized with the standards of the Council of Europe Convention on the Prevention and Suppression of Violence according to women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) in the field of sexual violence, but also public awareness towards victims of sexual violence.
Representative in the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Alma Kratina, points out that in the past period, representatives submitted seven initiatives to amend the FBiH Criminal Code, and that the Minister of Justice was required to approach this work very seriously, considering the obligation to adopt a new criminal code.
"Everything requested through initiatives requires a new text. We need media support in the public space. We need in the coming period, when we expect the government to be formed, to continue working on this issue, based on what was done before," said Kratina.
She believes that this process in the FBiH is mostly hindered by the "incapacity of the judiciary" because of all the political circumstances, there is a consensus on the issue of protecting victims of violence.
"Since 2014, we have had the obligation to create a legal framework for the protection of victims in accordance with the Istanbul Convention. We see that there is not enough willingness to report violence, which is very present, especially during pandemic periods. On the way to protect the victims, we must raise the awareness of the entire public about the importance of this issue, about destigmatization, the fight against prejudices, so that the victim feels that she has a state behind her that will protect her," she stated.
The executive director of the Foundation for Local Democracy, Jasmina Mujezinović, underlines that sexual violence is the type of violence that is least discussed and least visible, but that due to the efforts of non-governmental organizations, these issues are still represented at the state level.
"Research shows that every tenth victim of violence reports it. This happens because we have huge stigmas towards these people, and the system is not adequate. In 2021, a total of 50 cases of sexual violence were reported throughout BiH. People do not decide to report violence because there is no system behind it, which means that they cannot solve their problems. If we establish a system, victims will start reporting violence. A whole another problem is the stigma," said Mujezinović.
(FENA) S. R.
