The number of reports of domestic violence in the Tuzla Canton increased last year. A record number of victims of domestic violence stayed in the Safe House Tuzla. The new Law on protection against domestic violence offers more urgent and concrete protection for the victim, and additional actions are planned so that more victims dare to report violence at an early stage, and the rate of violence in society decreases.
Last year, 802 cases of domestic violence were reported to police officers of the MUP of Tuzla Canton, which is 282 more than in 2024. The number of submitted reports on committed criminal acts, as well as the imposed protective measures, has also increased. The safe house was never empty for a day. It provided services to 151 people, 75 women victims of domestic violence and 76 children. Possible reasons are campaigns and legal changes.
“Police officers and investigators who work on reports of domestic violence have an expanded range of powers in terms of protecting victims of violence, i.e. they are given the authority to impose emergency protective measures against abusers immediately after a report of domestic violence,” said Adnana Sprečić, spokeswoman for the Police Department of the MUP of TK.
“At all levels, we started to talk about domestic violence. Through media reports, we had a lot more stories about domestic violence, there were various activities on this problem, but of course the cases of femicide that happened conditioned women to dare to report violence”, said Danijela Huremović, Safe House Tuzla.
The new law enables faster and better protection of the victim. The Ministry of Interior of Tuzla Canton has a campaign with all available information about the treatment this year as well. Police officers are additionally educated on ways of communicating with the victim and how to act, and the Tuzla Citizens’ Forum launched an initiative to employ psychologists in police departments to work on these cases.
“Our goal is not only to employ people who would only provide support to police officers and solve some of their problems, but primarily to provide support to the victim who reports violence, to bring them to such a state that the statements could be as good as possible, as high-quality as possible, but also to make the work of police officers who will take such statements easier”, said Danijel Stjepanović, Tuzla Citizens’ Forum.
“Victims must testify against abusers, regardless of the benefits that the Criminal Procedure Act gives them in terms of giving up testimony, etc., but at least to cooperate in the sense of timely obtaining medical documentation and other evidence that can be used in criminal proceedings,” said Sprečić.
Timely reporting of domestic violence and the creation of a safe environment for the victim creates the assumption that adequate action is taken, and the number of cases of domestic violence, as well as in society, decreases.
(TYPE/Source: bhrt.ba/Author: Enisal Alibalić/Photo: Illustration)
