Global Rights and 119 NGOs Demand Changes in the Law on Prevention of Family Violence

Global Rights, together with 119 NGOs and individuals from Bosnia and Herzegovina, propose that the articles and provisions in the Law on Prevention of Family Violence regarding to treatment of family violence as misdemeanors are deleted from the legal text. These are some of the comments to the draft-Laws on Prevention of Family Violence and Family Law, submitted to the Parliament of the BH Federation. Global Rights and its partners emphasize that the NGOs have promoted the passing of legislation for prevention of family violence for years, as well as their constant demands that this form of violence is treated as criminal offence. “We managed, to some extent, to introduce that principle in the newly adopted Law on Gender Equality, as well as in the changes of the Criminal Code of the Federation. For that reason, we do support the draft-Law on Prevention of Family Violence, but not its provisions that treats family violence as misdemeanor”, says the release issued by Global Rights and its partner NGOs. The release also adds that the Law on Gender Equality states clearly that the perpetrators of gender or sex based violence or harassment will be charged for criminal offence and may be sentenced from six month to five years term in prison.

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