NASILJE NAD ŽENAMA U INTIMNIM PARTNERSKIM ODNOSIMA: KA KOORDINIRANOM MULTISEKTORSKOM PRISTUPU ZAŠTITI I PREVENCIJI
VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN INTIMATE PARTNER RELATIONSHIPS: TOWARDS A COORDINATED MULTISECTORAL APPROACH TO PROTECTION AND PREVENTION

Summary/Abstract: Intimate partner violence is the most widespread form of violence against women and includes physical, psychological, economic, and sexual abuse as well as controlling behavior. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, this problem was recognized and addressed due to the experience of sexual violence during the war, which led to the establishment of the first services for survivors. By ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence in 2013, BiH has committed to establishing a multidisciplinary and coordinated protection system. In addition, the Sustainable Development Goals set out in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development also provide an opportunity to fulfill the commitments to combat violence against women that governments have made in many previous declarations, resolutions, and international agreements. However, the escalation of violence and femicide in recent years has revealed significant weaknesses in the institutional response. Despite the legal framework, challenges remain in the inconsistent application of the law, limited resources for victim support, weak inter-institutional cooperation and coordination, and social stigmatization that discourages reporting violence. The paper analyses these shortcomings and proposes the strengthening of a cross-sectoral approach based on the principles of protecting victims’ rights. Key priorities include building the capacity of safe houses, standardizing risk assessment, specialized training of professionals, and integrating a trauma-informed approach into all support services, to create a system that ensures the safety and empowerment of women while improving the legal framework and social awareness. Cross-sectoral collaboration, continuous research, and the testing of new measures are important steps towards building a more efficient and equitable protection system.

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