ALL DETAILS of the Resolution on the Prevention of Sexual Harassment

(Patria) - The Sarajevo Canton Assembly adopted the Resolution on the Prevention and Suppression of Gender-Based Harassment and Sexual Harassment and Violence in Sarajevo Canton, which we are publishing in its entirety.

“Sexual harassment and violence is one of the most common forms of gender-based violence, which is most easily tolerated and for which our legislation lacks an adequate sanctioning mechanism. It includes unwanted sexual behaviors that do not necessarily involve physical contact, and which put a person in an uncomfortable and humiliating position, causing feelings of shame. The key aspect of this type of harassment and violence is power, as it is often carried out by a person in a more powerful position than the person against whom it is carried out, leading to a situation where sexual harassment, i.e., blackmail, is legitimized as a tool for exercising power and influence.

Sexual harassment is often treated as a trivial problem that can be easily avoided and stopped, which is often not true. It is very often a matter of repeated behaviors that occur over a longer period of time and for which the victim cannot find a systemic solution. Precisely because the victim cannot receive adequate support from the system, society in a certain part resorts to equating the roles of the perpetrator and the victim.

In this regard, we, the elected representatives of the citizens of Sarajevo Canton, oblige the Government of Sarajevo Canton to, in cooperation with experts from relevant fields, draft and submit to the Sarajevo Canton Assembly for adoption in an urgent procedure:

• A draft law on the prevention and prohibition of gender-based harassment and sexual harassment and violence in Sarajevo Canton;

• A draft regulation on the rules of conduct for employers and employees regarding the prevention and protection from workplace harassment in Sarajevo Canton;

• A draft protocol on procedures in cases of reported gender-based harassment and sexual harassment and violence in Sarajevo Canton (hereinafter - the Protocol), which would introduce a standardized procedure for victims regardless of their age, the place where the violence occurred, gender and/or other personal characteristics, ensure timely and victim-centered care that provides emotional support and reduces the risk of further development of traumatic disorders, ensure a standardized and appropriate method of collecting documentation and storing physical evidence by specially trained professionals, which will inevitably lead to a higher probability of identifying, prosecuting, and convicting perpetrators of gender-based harassment and sexual harassment and violence, ensure quality medical care for victims, including examination, treatment, and monitoring of the victim's health status, and ensure data confidentiality;

• A draft decision on the mandatory adoption of unified ethical codes, aligned with the Protocol, in all public enterprises, institutions, agencies, and funds established by Sarajevo Canton and/or local self-government bodies, or which are majority-owned by Sarajevo Canton and/or local self-government bodies;

• A draft action plan for the prevention and suppression of gender-based harassment and sexual harassment and violence in Sarajevo Canton, whose primary goal will be to raise public and individual awareness of gender-based harassment and sexual harassment and violence, as well as education on recognizing and early suppression of such forms of harassment and violence;

• A draft decision on mandatory annual reporting on compliance with the obligations prescribed by the Law on Gender Equality (“Official Gazette of BiH” numbers: 16/03 and 102/09) as part of the annual reports on the work of all public enterprises, institutions, agencies, and funds established by Sarajevo Canton and/or local self-government bodies, or which are majority-owned by Sarajevo Canton and/or local self-government bodies.

We, the elected representatives of the citizens of Sarajevo Canton, also oblige the Government of Sarajevo Canton to take urgent steps towards:

• Establishing an expert working group for the development of the Action Plan for the Prevention and Suppression of Gender-Based Harassment and Sexual Harassment and Violence in Sarajevo Canton, which will include representatives from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Labor, Social Policy, Displaced Persons and Refugees, Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Youth, Ministry of Preschool, Primary and Secondary Education, University of Sarajevo, Ministry of Justice and Administration, Employers' Association of KS, non-governmental organizations dealing with the prevention and suppression of gender-based violence and sexual harassment and violence, and relevant working bodies of the Sarajevo Canton Assembly;

• Establishing a “Brave Line” for reporting gender-based harassment and sexual harassment and violence,” the Resolution adopted today by the KS Assembly states.