House of Peoples Adopts Law on Protection from Family Violence and Violence Against Women

(Patria) - The House of Peoples of the Parliament of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina unanimously adopted the Law on Protection from Family Violence and Violence Against Women today.

The law is aligned with the Istanbul Convention, provides more funding for safe houses from the budget, a "electronic monitoring" system that would show the location of perpetrators of these criminal offenses, as well as stricter penalties for abusers.

The Minister of Justice of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Vedran Škobić, emphasized that this law represents a comprehensive mechanism for protection and combating violence.

- There are urgent protection measures that include removing the person from the premises, i.e., the apartment, prohibiting stalking, approaching, as well as measures. The only difference is that they are issued in writing by the police authority and last for 48 hours.

In addition, a mechanism that will serve the police authorities has been introduced, which is deprivation of liberty when issuing urgent measures - said Škobić.

The law introduces risk assessment for all victims of violence, such as checking the risk of mortality, then checking the behavior of the person committing violence - whether they possess firearms, whether they have previously committed domestic violence or another type of violence, whether they have threatened to kill, and whether the person is mentally ill.

This is the first concrete step in the fight against violence and the protection of women.

- This is a law that has been in procedure since 2022, from the previous term, when it was adopted in draft and when we initiated the entire process - said delegate Miomirka Melank.

However, this time the amendments to the Criminal Code were not before the delegates because the relevant ministry withdrew it from the parliamentary procedure due to a large number of amendments.

Femicide should be included in it as a separate category of criminal offense. Therefore, delegate Aida Obuća (SDA) called on Minister Škobić to return the law to the procedure as soon as possible.

- Whether femicide will be included as a separate criminal offense in the criminal code, we will see, but there are calls and there is a need for such a criminal offense to be recognized in the criminal code - there really is.

I hope that in the next month or two it will be in the parliamentary procedure, along with all other amendments related to domestic violence, i.e., protection - added Škobić.