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According to Anadolu Agency’s data, in the period from 2013 to 2023, more than 70 women were murdered in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2024, 13 women were murdered by their male relatives or partners. In such a small country, these stats are a punch to the gut. Especially since there is no singular source for these statistics, so some of these violent crimes may have gone under the media radar.

A particularly brutal murder in 2023, where the murderer, Nermin Sulejmanović, killed his wife, Nizama Hećimović, on a livestream, incited national outrage. All of this motivated “Glas Žene” (A Woman’s Voice), an organization dedicated to helping women, alongside their partner organisations, to petition for a law regarding femicide. That is how their campaign “We will not die in silence” started.

Finally, on the 28th of May 2025, one chamber of the Parliamentary Assembly of Bosnia and Herzegovina – the House of Representatives in the Bosnia’s Federation entity, amended the criminal code to recognise gender-based murder as a specific, distinct crime in this entity. With this new law, killing a woman is considered aggravated murder, punishable by a minimum of 10 years in prison, with even harsher penalties in situations where the victim was previously abused. 

On the 16th of June 2025, the House of Peoples, the other chamber, with 45 votes adopted this amendment. 

Since Bosnia and Herzegovina has one of the most complex political systems, this amendment will have to be finally agreed upon at a Parliamentary Assembly where representatives from both chambers will be present.

via Unsplash

 

Even though Bosnia and Herzegovina ratified the Istanbul Convention, a human rights treaty opposing violence against women, in 2013, it did not recognise gender-based murder as a separate crime. It used to be treated as murder, punishable up to 20 years in prison, or as “aggravated murder” with sentences of 20 to 45 years.

However, the reality of these punishments was much different. These sentences were often much shorter, which did not deter perpetrators from committing such violent acts further.

How does the EU law compare?

So, how is the issue of domestic violence tackled in the EU? On the 14th of May, 2024 the European Parliament and the Council of the European Union passed a directive on combating violence against women.

The goal of this directive is to ensure a level of protection for women across the Union as it criminalizes female genital mutilation and forced marriage, as well as cyber violence such as stalking, sharing explicit images of the victim without consent, and more.
The directive also focuses on the prevention of violence against women and the protection of women, aiming to ensure they have access to support services and justice.

All members of the Union are expected to adopt this directive by June 2027.
It is important to note that the 27 EU countries have no definitions of femicide in the legal context. However, gender-based murder is classified in several ways, including intentional homicide, non-intentional homicide, and manslaughter.

Uniting for justice

This campaign by Glas Žene is an empowering example of a successful grassroots movement. Women, aggravated by the normalisation of domestic violence in their country, decided to start a campaign almost a year ago in their local communities. It all started on a local level with a goal of 10,000 signatures, and then it rightfully got national recognition.

And as Bosnian citizens await the parliament to officially recognize femicide in the Federation entity, it is a great moment to appreciate what a group of people passionate about making a significant change can do.

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