Advancing efforts to combat violence against women and further align domestic legislation with the Istanbul Convention were the focus of a series of meetings held on 19 May between representatives of the Council of Europe and key institutions in Bosnia and Herzegovina responsible for human rights and gender equality.

The meetings brought together the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo Bojana Urumova and the Head of the Gender Equality Division Caterina Bolognese with the Minister of Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sevlid Hurtić, Expert Advisor from Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Joško Mandić, and heads of the gender equality centres of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, Samir Numanović and Maja Vekić.

The discussions reaffirmed support for efforts to strengthen prevention and institutional protection for survivors of violence, improve the reporting and prosecution of violence cases, and further align domestic laws and policies with Council of Europe standards. Participants stressed that the Convention’s relevance lies in its implementation - in courts, police and social services, shelters, schools, hospitals and everyday life, including children’s upbringing - underscoring the importance of continued co-operation among all relevant institutions.

The meetings preceded the regional conference “Towards a Consent-Based Framework: Sexual Violence Definitions in Europe”, which will bring together key institutional representatives and experts from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region to discuss legal and practical perspectives on consent-based definitions of sexual violence in Council of Europe member states. The conference will provide a platform for exchanging experiences and discussing approaches to strengthening the protection of victims and access to justice.