Country Profile Bosnia and Herzegovina

General Country Information

Summary

There are two national women’s helplines in Bosnia and Herzegovina, one covering the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and one covering Republika Srpska. They are both free of charge and available 24/7, but do not offer multilingual support. There are eight women-only shelters in the country, offering 208 beds, as well as 11 women’s centres. Three rape crisis centres are operating in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, but they are not fully operational, and there is a helpline supporting survivors of war-related sexual violence. State authorities collect data on domestic violence, and the Federal Ministry of Labour and Social Policy gathers information on the specialised services for survivors of domestic violence in the Federation. National strategies to tackle domestic violence include provisions on prevention, but no budget is allocated, and no evaluation is conducted on existing activities.

Women’s Specialist Services

In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the SOS telephone line for domestic violence for the Federation of BiH (SOS telefon za žrtve nasilja u porodici Federacije BiH, tel.: +387 1265) is free of charge, operates 24/7, but it does not offer multilingual support. The helpline does meet the standards of the Istanbul Convention. It is run by five women’s NGOs, namely Association “Medica” Zenica, Vive Women Tuzla (Vive žene Tuzla), Foundation of Local Democracy Sarajevo (Fondacija Lokalne demokratije Sarajevo), Women with Una Bihać (Žene s Une Bihać) and Women of BiH Mostar (Žena BiH Mostar). The helpline provides support primarily for cases of domestic violence, but survivors can receive support and referrals for all types of violence against women. In 2024, the helpline received 2,225 calls. The most common forms of violence reported by callers were domestic violence, physical violence and psychological violence. There is no state funding for the helplines operating in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Gender Centre of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina pays the annual fee for the number to the telecom provider, while the other costs are covered through international funding. Additionally, the Centre for Social Work Jajce runs the helpline in one canton of the Federation, Central Bosnia Canton, but the line is not available 24/7.

In Republika Srpska, the women’s helpline is called SOS Telephone for women and children survivos of violence (SOS telefon za žene i djecu žrtve nasilja, tel.: +387 1264) and is run by Foundation “United Women” Banja Luka, Foundation “Lara” Bijeljina, and Association “Budućnost” Modriča. The helpline is free of charge and operates 24/7, thus meeting the standards of the Istanbul Convention. The helpline does not offer multilingual support, and it supports survivors of physical, psychological, economic and sexualised violence. In 2024, it received 3,738 calls from 2,617 callers, and within domestic violence, the most commonly reported forms were physical, psychological, economic and violence directly/indirectly affecting children. The organisations running the helpline do so on a voluntary basis, as they do not receive financial support from the state.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, there is also a helpline that provides help specifically for survivors of war-related sexual violence. It is called Unique telephone line for support and help to survivors of war rape and sexual violence and their family members (Jedinstvena telefonska linija za pomoć i podršku preživjelim ratno silovanje i seksualno nasilje i članovima njihovih porodica, tel.: +387 80022334). The Association “Medica” Zenica operates the helpline, which is free of charge and available 24/7, but does not offer multilingual support. In 2024, the helpline received 64 calls.

There are eight women-only shelters in Bosnia and Herzegovina, five in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and three in Republika Srpska, offering 208 beds.

In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the five women-only shelters offer 146 beds and are accessible 24/7. They are run by women’s organisations with a gender-specific approach: “Medica” Zenica, Vive žene Tuzla, Zene sa Une Bihać, Fondacija lokalne demokratije Sarajevo and Žena BiH Mostar. Survivors can stay in the shelters up to six months, and in exceptional cases, this period can be extended in cooperation with the Centre for Social Welfare. Women are not expected to pay for their accommodation, although the new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and Violence against Women of the Federation, passed in 2025, foresees in Article 65, item (e), that shelters, among other sources, are to be financed from the personal contribution of service beneficiaries or their relatives. Women’s shelters opposed this provision during the legislative process, but their proposals were not taken into account. This law has not been implemented at the time of writing, and minimum standards for safe houses are being developed. The types of in-house services provided by shelters include casework, counselling/psychological support, referrals/collaboration with other services, and practical and legal advice. Some shelters also offer medical assistance, occupational therapy, and an economic empowerment programme.

Most women’s shelters in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina can be accessed by and are accessible to women with physical and sensory disabilities, older women, women with children with disabilities and unaccompanied girls under the age of 18. Some shelters are equipped to support women with uncertain residence permits/undocumented women, refugee women, homeless women, and women with older sons, while no shelters can support women with cognitive disabilities and with substance abuse issues. Additionally, there is one shelter specialised in supporting survivors from the LGBTQI+ community. This shelter provides five beds, it is accessible 24/7 and is run by the organisation Krila nade in Sarajevo.

Article 65 of the new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and Violence against Women of the Federation also stipulates the funding guidelines for shelters. While in the past the costs were covered by the Federation (70% of the costs) and the Canton (30% of the costs), the new law does not include a fixed percentage. Women’s shelters also receive international funding, but this is limited. Shelters are located in most regions. If they had to decline referrals, the main reason was the survivors being ineligible for support. In fact, shelters define specific ineligibility criteria for admission, which may include, for example, substance addiction, severe mental impairment, and other circumstances that prevent the provision of adequate support and care. The most common forms of violence reported by survivors were domestic, physical and psychological violence, in most cases combined with other forms of violence. In 2024, women’s shelters in the Federation accommodated 347 women.

In Republika Srpska, there are three women-only shelters offering 62 beds. They are accessible 24/7, and women are not expected to pay for their accommodation. On average, women can stay in the shelters up to six months, but according to the complexity and severity of the case, their stay can be extended to several years. Women’s shelters provide different kinds of in-house services, including counselling/psychological support, referrals/collaboration with other services, practical advice and legal advice. The Foundation “United Women” also provides support through the Fund for the economic empowerment of women. This covers different costs incurred by the survivors, such as transportation costs to go to work, certificates and examinations necessary to start a work contract, fees for kindergarten, costs for agricultural seeds and other planting material, and to supplement retirement years.

In terms of accessibility, all shelters can accommodate refugee women, homeless women, women with cognitive disabilities, older women, women with older sons or with children with disabilities, and unaccompanied girls. Most shelters are accessible to women with sensory disabilities and with substance abuse issues, while only some can be accessed by and are accessible to women with physical disabilities. No shelter can accommodate women with uncertain residence permits and undocumented women.
Shelters in Republika Srpska are funded through state funding and donations, are run by women’s NGOs with a gender-specific and feminist approach, and are present in most regions. If they had to decline referrals, it was mostly due to the lack of space and capacity to support the survivors, the survivors not being eligible for support, or the shelters not being adequately equipped for the needs of women and their children. The most common forms of violence reported by women were domestic violence, physical violence, and psychological violence. In 2024, 87 women were accommodated in women’s shelters in Republika Srpska.

There are 11 women’s centres in the country: eight in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and three in Republika Srpska.

In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the eight women’s centres can provide referrals and collaboration with other services, while six also provide counselling/psychological support, legal advice and representation at court/police/social services. Additionally, women’s centres also provide support to survivors of sexualised violence, including specialist psychological care, specialist advocacy services, community awareness and education for prevention, and legal advice.

All women’s centres can be accessed by older women and unaccompanied girls under the age of 18, while most of them can be accessed by and are accessible to women with uncertain residence permits, undocumented women, and women with physical and sensory disabilities. Some centres can also be accessible to women with cognitive disabilities. Additionally, some centres are specialised in supporting specific groups of women: four centres for survivors or those at risk of trafficking, and one for women with uncertain residence permits/undocumented women, and refugee women. Women’s centres are funded by donations and international funding, and only centres that also run shelters receive funding from the government. Women’s centres are located in most regions.

In Republika Srpska, there are three women’s centres supporting survivors of gender-based violence. They offer legal advice and referrals/collaboration with other services, while one also provides counselling/psychological support and representation at court/police/social services. Two centres are run by women’s NGOs, while one is run by another NGO. Both centres are accessible to women with physical, cognitive and sensory disabilities, as well as older women. Women’s centres in Republika Srpska are funded by donations and international funding, and they are located in cities. In 2024, they supported 45 women.

In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, three rape crisis centres were established in 2021, following the signing of the Agreement on Cooperation for the Establishment of Crisis Centres for Victims of Rape and Sexual Violence by the Gender Equality Agency. These centres are located within hospitals in major cities and are intended to provide support to women, girls, and children under the age of 18. However, they are not yet fully operational. At present, there is no available data confirming whether these centres are functioning. There are no services for survivors of sexualised violence in Republika Srpska.

Public authorities do not collect data on primary prevention activities in the country. There is a Gender Action Plan of Bosnia and Herzegovina for the period 2023-2027, as well as a Strategy for the prevention and fight against domestic violence 2024-2027 in the Federation and a Strategy for Combating Domestic Violence of the Republic of Srpska (2020–2024). Both strategies include references to prevention. Additionally, the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence and Violence against Women in the Federation of BiH prescribes several obligations for preventive action, from the education of professionals to the promotion of non-violent values.

In the Federation of BiH, there is no specific budget allocated to primary prevention activities. The majority of such activities are conducted by women’s NGOs that are financed through international projects; therefore, there is no systemic evaluation of primary prevention activities across the country. Activities delivered include feminist self-defence training, empowerment activities for girls and women, primary prevention activities specifically targeted to men and boys, school-based primary prevention programmes, self-care activities and awareness-raising campaigns or programmes. In Republika Srpska, only information and awareness-raising campaigns on domestic violence are funded by the state, and there is no evaluation in place to assess their impact.

1. Agency for Statistics of Bosnia and Herzegovina, 2023. Latest population data from 2013: https://bhas.gov.ba/data/Publikacije/Bilteni/2024/DEM_00_2023_
   TB_1_BS.pdf ↩︎
2. Ibid. ↩︎