On 14 November 2024, the Violence against Women Division organised a follow-up round table on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention in Bosnia and Herzegovina, aimed at promoting national synergies in addressing violence against women. The meeting provided an important opportunity to take stock and discuss progress, remaining challenges and ways forwards in order to comply with the findings of the Group of Experts on Action against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (GREVIO) baseline evaluation report on Bosnia and Herzegovina published on 8 November 2022, as well as the recommendations of the Committee of the Parties to Bosnia and Herzegovina adopted on 6 December 2022.

The meeting gathered 30 public representatives from all relevant sectors, as well as women’s NGOs offering specialist support services and advocacy, alongside representatives of intergovernmental organisations such as UN Women. It was opened by the Minister of Refugees and Human Rights of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sevlid Hurtić, who highlighted the steps undertaken by the authorities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to strengthen laws, policies, and measures to sanction violence against women, as well as the remaining challenges in ensuring comprehensive support and protection for women victims beyond domestic violence.

The participants exchanged on improvements and measures to be taken to ensure multi-agency co-ordination in providing support services and protection, as well as effective access to criminal justice for women suffering gender-based violence, and their children, particularly in divorce and custody proceedings. The panel discussion included a presentation by Professor Shazia Choudry from the University of Oxford, who shared findings from her research The Family Justice Response to Domestic Abuse - A Six-Country Empirical Study of the Experiences of Survivors, Judges, Lawyers, and Court-Appointed Experts. The presentation provided valuable insights into the challenges victims face in securing protection and justice across six countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The need to ensure adequate specialist support services for victims of sexual violence and rape was emphasised, along with a continued focus on prevention by addressing gender stereotypes and promoting a stronger gender-sensitive approach also in perpetrator programmes. Co-ordinated policies to prevent and combat violence against women were also highlighted, as well as the need for stable and sufficient funding to support NGOs providing specialist support services for victims of violence against women.

The necessity of ensuring comprehensive training for frontline responders and relevant professionals across all sectors was also identified as a priority area for further action.

As a next step in the monitoring, the BiH authorities are requested to report to the Committee of the Parties by the end of 2025 on the implementation of its recommendations. Subsequently, Bosnia and Herzegovina will be undergoing the first thematic evaluation procedure by GREVIO on the theme of “Building trust by delivering support, protection and justice”.