OSCE holds regional meeting on combating violence against women in the Western Balkans

The OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the European Institute for Gender Equality organized a two-day regional meeting in Sarajevo on the importance of data collection on violence against women in the Western Balkan region.

“Data collection, as an invaluable and essential part of the process of prevention of violence against women, is the only way to ensure effective analysis of policy implementation, assess the quality of support services, and meet international standards,” said Head of the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina Bruce G. Berton.

The meeting gathered academics, civil society experts and government officials from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, as well as representatives of the European Union and the United Nations.

The OSCE Mission to BiH remains highly committed to supporting data collection in the region as a crucial tool for the protection of victims and for the creation of policies that focus on victims of all forms of gender-based and domestic violence.

“In 2015, the Mission supported the development of a database on domestic violence cases in the Federation of BiH, which resulted in incredible progress in helping the authorities respond to domestic violence cases, while also easing the social and psychological burden of victims,” said Berton. He expressed the OSCE Mission’s readiness to assist the Republika Srpska Government with the development of a similar database in the near future.