Legislative improvements, increased resources needed to protect women from violence in BiH, says OSCE Deputy Head of Mission

SARAJEVO, 21 November 2012 – Stronger legal provisions backed up by adequate financial resources are needed to better protect women against violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina, said the Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission, Nina Suomalainen today at a conference in Sarajevo.

Suomalainen was speaking at a thematic session at the BiH Parliament to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, which is celebrated on 25 November and marks the start of the annual worldwide campaign, 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence.

“Effective responses to violence against women require genuine and continuous political commitment at all levels. Parliaments must ensure that the appropriate legislation is in place to effectively protect victims. In addition, the necessary financial resources must be made available, not only as a sign of commitment, but also as a pre-requisite to real progress on the ground,” said Suomalainen.

Welcoming the BiH Presidency’s July decision to sign the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which opened for signature in May last year, Suomalainen said: “For the sake of each victim, or potential victim of violence against women and domestic violence, and for the sake of society as a whole, we need not only to adopt legislation and ratify the CoE Convention, but also turn the letter of the law into practical reality.”