In Sarajevo today, experts and representatives from judicial and legislative institutions, international organisations, civil society, and academia gathered to discuss ways to improve the judicial response to femicide and violence against women. The roundtable, titled “Improving Judicial Responses to Protect Women and Prevent Violence Against Women”, brought together over 20 participants, including leading human rights and gender equality specialists.
The roundtable was organised by the AIRE Centre, supported by the United Kingdom Government, in cooperation with the Centre for Women’s Rights and the Atlantic Initiative. The focus of the discussion was on enhancing judicial responses to femicide and violence against women by strengthening institutional coordination, aligning domestic laws with international standards, and establishing effective prevention and protection mechanisms.
Sabina Đapo, Program Manager for the Western Balkans at the AIRE Centre, emphasized the importance of constructive dialogue and coordination among all relevant actors in the chain of prevention and prosecution of femicide, the gravest form of gender-based violence.
“This event allows us to identify concrete problems in the application of laws and to focus on future steps to improve responses to violence. Understanding and preventing femicide must be a priority for all institutions, as it is increasingly clear that the system’s reaction to violence against women remains inadequate”, stated Đapo.
The AIRE Centre’s analysis, conducted in partnership with regional organizations, titled “Judicial Responses to Femicide in the Western Balkans: Legal Framework and Judicial Practice“, revealed that the majority of femicides are committed in the victims’ homes, most often by their intimate partners or family members.
“In most cases, these killings are preceded by prolonged violence or by the victim seeking divorce or leaving the perpetrator, making femicide nearly predictable. Through this roundtable, we aim to highlight the critical role of all institutions—judiciary, police, social services, and even educational institutions—in preventing such crimes, investigating them effectively, and ensuring appropriate sentencing”, concluded Đapo.
Bojana Jovanović, Project Manager at the Centre for Women’s Rights, pointed to challenges in prosecuting these crimes, particularly regarding the legal qualification of the offense and the consideration of mitigating and aggravating circumstances.
“In many cases, femicides are prosecuted as basic forms of murder, which disregards their specific nature. For this reason, the Centre for Women’s Rights has initiated a proposal to amend the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina to include the murder of a woman as a qualified form of homicide. This would cover cases where the perpetrator is a family member, close associate, domestic partner, or someone who previously abused the victim, with a minimum prescribed sentence of 10 years or long-term imprisonment”, she explained.
In a significant number of cases, the “trigger” for femicide is when the woman decides to leave the abuser, Jovanović elaborated.
“Our monitoring of trials in these cases revealed numerous clear risk factors, such as prior domestic violence, violence under the influence of alcohol, threats to kill the partner and children, threats of arson, and brandishing guns and knives. Despite these aggravating circumstances, perpetrators are often sentenced below the legal minimum or even receive suspended sentences, even in cases of repeated violence. This demonstrates the urgent need for risk factors to be recognized and properly assessed in every case, and for violence to never be minimized or ignored”, Jovanović concluded.
Majda Halilović, Head of Research at the Atlantic Initiative, highlighted that femicide most commonly occurs in the context of domestic violence, where the perpetrator exercises control, stalks, and abuses the woman, even after the relationship has ended.
“The cause of femicide lies not in the dynamics of the couple’s relationship but solely in the perpetrator’s behavior. It is often found that the perpetrator has abused other women and will continue such behavior in future relationships unless the system intervenes”, Halilović explained.
Institutions must treat all forms of violence with utmost seriousness, carefully listen to women reporting violence, and recognize risk factors indicating escalation or potentially fatal outcomes.
“Risk factors such as firearm possession, repeated violence, separation, stalking, threats, and disputes over child custody during divorce clearly indicate severe danger. In such situations, urgent measures must be taken to prevent any contact between the perpetrator and the victim, as well as with the children. If the perpetrator violates protective measures, continues threats, or persists in violent behavior, this should signal to authorities that both the woman and her children are at serious risk,” Halilović concluded.
During the discussion, participants also addressed the necessity of harmonizing domestic laws with international standards, particularly in the context of the Istanbul Convention, to enable a stronger response to femicide and violence against women. It was further emphasized that the legislative framework must include specific preventive measures, as well as protective measures for victims in high-risk situations.
