Outcome BIH_D_3.3

By 2025, people have access to better quality and inclusive health and social protection systems

Throughout the year progress was made in regard to achieving this outcome as a result of multiple interventions towards the standardization of institutional and civil society response to cases of violence against women and driving local communities' solutions towards prevention. Entity Gender Centers are providing s standardized and quality service trainings for members of multisectoral teams in order to develop/revise local protocols in accordance with the international standards in 25 municipalities in BiH. The Federal Ministry of Interior has access to the tools for standardization of the police response to violence against women and domestic violence cases and recommended these for use to the cantonal ministries. Gender Centre of Republika Srpska developed the General Protocol on handling cases of domestic violence in the Republika Srpska with UN Women’s technical support which) is the first step; it must be adopted and implemented in practice .General protocol was signed by six Ministries (Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Health and Social Protection, Ministry of Education and Culture, Ministry of Administration and Local Self-Government, Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports). . Action plans will be developed for each ministry to apply the guidelines in practice. For example, centers for social work will adopt special regulations for dealing with victims of sexual violence. Civil society organizations strengthened their capacities in research-based advocacy for enhancement of legislative framework for protection from sexual violence focused on the standardization of judiciary response to cases of sexual violence with the support of BiH High Judiciary and Prosecutorial Council and Entities’ Training Centers for judges and prosecutors and UN Women. Initial national efforts for developing an evidence-based approach and systematic response to cases of sexual violence have been supported through a consortium of seven women’s CSOs- member of the Safe Network. With the support of UN Women, the capacities of professional staff in the 8 safe houses that work with victims of sexual violence strengthened their capacity through the improvement of knowledge and expertise for providing help and support to victims of sexual violence. Additionally, standards have been improved for safe house records on the specialized support services provided for victims of domestic violence through the creation of a software database that is currently in the test phase and will be installed in eight organizations that run safe houses in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In terms of VAW prevention, UN Women supported national women and youth CSOs in implementation of the comprehensive methodologies for prevention of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) including sexual harassment in public spaces. Six local communities apply “Communities that Care” approach involving youth, men and boys, community and non-traditional leaders in preventive activities. Banja Luka City applies in collaboration with the Foundation United Women Banja Luka the global UN Women Safe Cities Safe Public Spaces program focused on combating sexual harassment in public space. A 16 days campaign on raising awareness on sexual violence has been conducted in five cities across BiH and via social media talking harmful attitudes around consent, marital rape and sexual harassment. Over 2,000 people across BiH directly participated and over 216,000 reached social media. Furthermore, under the same campaign UN Women facilitated thematic discussions with 20 experts in VAW and representatives of institutions and CSOs. The discussions resulted in a set of recommendations for enhancement of two entity criminal codes to ensure protection of survivors in line with the Istanbul Convention for entity governments, ministries of justice and wider expert community. As a result of the multiple interventions and UN Women support in 2023 the l egislators and institutions have enhanced capacities to incorporate the highest level of international standards on EVAW in legislation and policies , local communities including w omen, girls, men and boys are able to mobilize resources to create an environment for zero tolerance to violence; and service providers have capacities to deliver quality, accessible and survivor-centered services , t hus far the original strategy and ToC for this outcome is largely still applicable.

By 2025, people have access to better quality and inclusive health and social protection systems

Duty bearers across justice, security, health, and social protection systems progressively strengthened their capacities to prevent violence, protect survivors, and deliver coordinated services, resulting in clearer institutional roles, improved access to protection mechanisms, and more consistent survivor-centred responses during the implementation of Strategic Note. Transformational progress was made in 2025 toward establishing a more robust, survivor-centred, and rights-based system for the prevention of and response to violence against women, contributing to long-term reductions in institutional impunity, improved accountability, and strengthened protection of women’s rights in line with international standards. At the structural level, the adoption of the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and Violence against Women and amendments to the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina marked a decisive shift in the national legal architecture. For the first time, violence against women is explicitly recognized as gender-based violence, and femicide is legally defined, strengthening the foundations for prosecution, deterrence, and justice. These reforms represent a systemic change with enduring impact, as they realign state obligations, institutional mandates, and accountability mechanisms in accordance with the Istanbul Convention. The impact of these reforms is reinforced by increased institutional readiness to implement the law across justice, law enforcement, health, and social protection systems. Progress on secondary legislation and inter-sectoral coordination has reduced long-standing fragmentation in institutional responses, creating conditions for more timely, consistent, and survivor-centred service provision. While full implementation will continue in subsequent phases, the shift from legislative intent to operational systems represents a critical step toward sustained impact. At the societal and normative level, state capacities to prevent emerging forms of violence, particularly technology-facilitated violence against women were strengthened through the establishment of nationally relevant prevention tools and processes. The development of the Guide for Understanding and Reporting Digital Violence and its application through nationwide prevention efforts have contributed to longer-term changes in awareness, recognition, and institutional responsibility related to digital violence. These changes lay the groundwork for safer participation of women and girls in public and digital spaces, with implications for democratic participation, freedom of expression, and equality. Impact is also evident in the gradual expansion of protection and recovery systems. Progress toward establishing a safe house in Eastern Herzegovina addresses a critical geographic gap in protection services, contributing to more equitable access to life-saving support for women and children survivors of violence. The integration of economic empowerment and social entrepreneurship into the national response framework introduces sustainable recovery pathways that address the structural drivers of women’s vulnerability to violence. While many impacts will fully materialize over time, the combined legal, institutional, service-delivery, and normative shifts achieved represent a decisive move from fragmented responses toward a coherent national system. These changes significantly strengthen Bosnia and Herzegovina’s capacity to prevent violence against women, protect survivors, and uphold women’s human rights on a sustained and systemic basis.

By 2025, people have access to better quality and inclusive health and social protection systems

Significant progress has been made this year toward achieving the outcome . Institutions and individuals demonstrated both behavioral and performance changes, reflecting improved capacities and coordination despite some delays in the start of the new ending violence against women ( EVAW) program me . In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH), institutional performance improved as the Ministry of Justice, supported by UN Women and international experts, undertook a comprehensive revision of the legal framework for protection against domestic violence and violence against women. This led to the submission of two key legislative proposals to the FBiH Government, marking a critical step toward strengthening legal protections. These proposals are expected to reach the FBiH Parliament’s agenda in early 2025, signaling enhanced institutional commitment to addressing gender-based violence. In contrast, progress in Republika Srpska (RS) was hindered by resistance from the anti-gender movement, which obstructed legislative reforms despite strong advocacy from civil society and UN Women. This resistance highlighted an urgent need to intensify advocacy and legal reform efforts to close critical gaps in protections for women. At the community level, behavioral changes were evident as thousands of young people actively participated in gender-based violence (GBV) prevention campaigns, including the 16 Days of Activism. Through educational activities, panel discussions, and interactive events, youth engaged with their communities, raising awareness and fostering a culture of zero tolerance for violence. Multisectoral teams and community bodies enhanced their performance by adopting joint procedures for coordinated responses to GBV cases. These improved response mechanisms have resulted in faster and more effective interventions, reflecting better inter-sectoral collaboration. Outreach initiatives targeting marginalized communities, particularly Roma populations, demonstrated both behavioral and systemic changes. Through culturally sensitive programs and partnerships with Roma community leaders, efforts to raise awareness about GBV and empower Roma women and girls to access support services have significantly improved inclusion and addressed specific challenges faced by these communities. Engagement of men and boys in GBV prevention has gained traction through targeted campaigns that challenge traditional gender norms and promote equal participation. This shift in attitudes has contributed to a collective community effort to prevent violence and promote gender equality. While these achievements signify notable progress, the delayed start of the new EVAW program meant that some planned activities could not be implemented. Continued efforts are required to address the remaining gaps, sustain momentum, and fully realize the planned outcomes, particularly in legal reform and scaling up interventions across all sectors.

By 2025, people have access to better quality and inclusive health and social protection systems

Important progress was made towards the outcome. Legislative and institutional frameworks for combating violence against women and domestic violence in BiH were strengthened. Significant support was provided to civil society partners to improve institutional responses and contribute to raising awareness, including tackling harmful attitudes among the general public and targeted groups of people such as youth, religious leaders, service providers, governmental officials and media. Significant milestones were achieved in advancing legal reforms and promoting gender equality, including efforts to enhance protection against sexual harassment through targeted amendments to the Criminal Code of the Republika Srpska, and ensure alignment with Istanbul Convention standards. Notable improvements include the elimination of hierarchical relationships between victims and perpetrators, expanding the scope of the offense. The incorporation of modern technologies as an aggravating circumstance further strengthens the legal framework, contributing to specific and general prevention measures. Addressing the pressing issue of femicide, in light of increased high profile cases in 2023, UN Women actively engaged decision-makers in ongoing efforts to amend the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence in both entities, with a focus on including a clear definition of femicide. The organization's proactive involvement, including collaboration with leading international experts, played a pivotal role in shaping legislative changes to address femicide cases. UN Women's multi-sectoral approach to domestic violence involved collaborative efforts with relevant ministries, resulting in formal endorsements of recommendations for amendments to internal organizational rulebooks. This collective commitment aims to ensure more effective responses to domestic violence by aligning internal regulations with specific laws on protection. Education and awareness initiatives have been integral to UN Women's strategy, including the integration of domestic violence topics into the curriculum of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina Police Academy. Additionally, evidence-based programs in high schools and collaboration with media outlets aim to combat gender stereotypes and prioritize the fight against Violence Against Women (VAW) through responsible reporting. Capacity-building and training efforts have yielded significant progress, with 400 service providers trained and the capacities of 30 institutions strengthened at various levels, aligning with the Istanbul Convention. This comprehensive approach contributes to influencing normative and policy processes to safeguard women from domestic and sexual violence. The establishment of Minimum Standards for Crisis Centers for Victims of Sexual Violence and the development of Standard Operating Procedures for a Multisectoral Response to Sexual Violence demonstrate UN Women's commitment to spearheading advancements in support services. Innovations, such as a software database implemented in organizations managing safe houses, have significantly improved record-keeping standards, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of support services for victims of domestic violence. Overall, these achievements reflect UN Women's comprehensive and impactful efforts in addressing gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This outcome represents the second condition for substantive equity identified in the office’s theory of change. The theory of change understands that, if 1) legislators and institutions have the capacities to incorporate the highest level of international standards on EVAW in legislation, policies and budgets, 2) women, girls, men and boys at community and individual level are able to mobilize actors, resources and capacities to create an environment for zero tolerance to violence; 3) General and specialist service providers have improved capacities to deliver quality, accessible and survivor-centred services; then women will have access to better quality and inclusive health and social protection systems and experience less gender-based violence. The results achieved under this outcome (changes to legal and criminal codes, amendments to internal ministry rulebooks, policy academy curricula, school reporting practices, and the enhanced role of women CSOs in raising awareness) reflect changes in both the capacity and performance of key institutions and individuals. Thus, changes outlined in the theory of change are occurring. We expect these changes to contribute to stronger health and protection systems and less gender-based violence, so the theory of change is still relevant.

By 2025, people have access to better quality and inclusive health and social protection systems

The outcome was not achieved during the year 2021. However, progress was made by the national, entity, cantonal and local governments of Bosnia and Herzegovina towards the standardization of response and driving communities' solutions to prevention. At the Federal level Law on protection against DV has been partially adopted, and and new Entities' Strategy and Action plan drafted with support of UN Women, while police response to DV cases is further standardized in FBiH with significant, measurable behavioral impact on police sector in Tuzla Canton. Service providers in in 10 communities in Republika Srpska and 7 cantons in Federation of BiH provide standardized responses in cases of domestic violence in line with Istanbul Convention. 4 communities in BiH apply locally driven participatory prevention approaches resulting in 20 local prevention initiatives focused on harmful gender stereotypes. Those results attest continues efforts of Entity but mostly local government in BiH to standardize response to DV cases in line with Istanbul convention and other international standards, as well as prioritizes prevention with participation of men, women, boys, girls and non-traditional actors such as religious leaders. UN Women contributing to those achievement by coordinating actors involved and ensuring quality of results and synergies across board. The importance of UN Women involvement has been stressed and valued by implementing and strategic partners resulting in the first ever policy advocacy brief on VAW developed and issued jointly by UN Women and 3 Gender Mechanisms (Agency for Gender Equality, Gender Center of FBiH and Gender Center RS). Based on the progress made to date, the original strategy and theory of change for this outcome is still applicable. However, the current political and social crisis and surge of "Nisam sama" and other women's driven movements might influence dynamic of UN Women dynamic of work.