(10^th September 2024, Bihać) Today, the representatives of the AIRE Centre in Bihać presented the handbook for the judiciary "Guidelines on Addressing Femicide Cases" to the judges of the Cantonal Court in Bihać, Cantonal Court in Livno, Basic Court in Novi Grad, and the municipal courts in Bihać, Cazin and Sanski Most, as well as the prosecutors of the Cantonal Prosecutor's Office of the Una-Sana Canton.

Fata Nadarević, president of the Cantonal Court in Bihać, in her opening address pointed out that Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the region, faces numerous challenges, especially when it comes to the institutional response to violence against women. She explained that problems are also present in judicial practice, most often as a result of misunderstanding the gender dimension of violence against women and femicide, which also opens up numerous opportunities for improvement.

„This handbook is a powerful tool for improving the judicial response along the way, as it provides clear guidance on the application of due diligence standards and explains a victim-centred approach. From the qualification of these criminal acts to the weighing of mitigating and aggravating circumstances, the handbook carefully analyses and explains the best practices from a gender perspective, using already existing examples from final court cases”, said president Nadarević.

Zlatko M. Knežević, a retired judge of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a consultant on AIRE Centre projects, spoke in the context of the event on the topic of femicide, gender equality in the practice of the European Court of Human Rights, and best practices in the qualification of part, i.e. aggravating and mitigating circumstances, and members of the Network of male and female judges dedicated to strengthening gender equality, Miroslav Popović, judge of the Court of BiH and Boris Cvitanović, judge of the Municipal Court in Travnik.

„Judicial Response to Femicide in the Western Balkans - Legal Framework and Judicial Practice” was also presented as part of the event, which is the result of a three-year study of femicide in the region. The report provides recommendations for improving the prosecution and suppression of femicide in the region.

The handbook and the regional study are available on the official website and can be downloaded for free at the link: https://shorturl.at/zAFHL