In the area of Tuzla Canton during this year, 571 emergency protective measures were issued, while competent courts issued a total of 1,401 in cases of domestic violence and violence against women. These data confirm the increase in the number of cases compared to the previous period, as well as the more significant application of protection mechanisms.
During the last thematic session, dedicated to the mechanisms of protection against domestic violence and violence against women in the Tuzla Canton, official data were presented, according to which 571 emergency protective measures were issued in that region of our country this year, while the competent courts passed a total of 1,401 protective measures.
These numbers indicate a more active application of the provisions of the new Law on protection against domestic violence, as well as the fact that victims report violence more often and express greater trust in the system of institutional protection.
“Exactly 571 emergency protective measures, which were issued by the competent police stations, represent a novelty compared to the previous law. Namely, according to the previous law, such protective measures could only be adopted on the basis of a court decision”, said Danijela Huremović, head of the safe house in Tuzla.
During the session, it was emphasized that the new law brings faster procedures, a more efficient reaction of institutions and a wider range of protective measures, which significantly improves the response to cases of violence.
However, the participants specifically warned of delays in the adoption of by-laws, which hinders the full implementation of the law and slows down the work of certain victim support mechanisms.
“A quality law, along with an effective system for its implementation on the ground, is certainly an important mechanism for protection against domestic violence and violence against women. One of the first steps in full implementation is the harmonization of by-laws, along with comprehensive education of system holders in the chain of victim protection,” said Hasiba Kurtić, president of the Commission for Justice, Human Rights and Civil Liberties of the TK Assembly.
It was stated that the growth in the number of reports and measures is an important indicator, because on the one hand it confirms the seriousness and prevalence of the problem of violence in TK, but also signals that an increasing number of victims have the courage to seek help.
The participants of the thematic session pointed out that it is now crucial to speed up institutional coordination and urgently finalize the missing by-laws, in order to ensure that the new law takes full effect.
“The holding of the session is part of broad, continuous efforts aimed at strengthening protection mechanisms and building stable, functional protocols of action in all cases of violence in the Tuzla Canton”, it was emphasized.
Otherwise, the session was organized by the Commission for Gender Equality and the Commission for Justice, Human Rights and Civil Liberties of the Tuzla Canton Assembly, in cooperation with the OSCE mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Although BH improved mechanisms, international organizations warn that victims are still not sufficiently protected. They concluded that cases of domestic violence and gender-based violence require decisive action by the competent institutions and continuous political support, writes Klix.
