A Turning Point for Rape Survivors in Sarajevo Canton

In November 2025, the Sarajevo Canton saw a historic shift taking place for survivors of sexual violence. The signing of the first Protocol on Procedures in Cases of Rape in Sarajevo Canton (from here on referred to as “the Protocol”) marked a defining moment in the country’s ongoing advocacy to end violence against women and girls.

Led by the Foundation for Local Democracy (FLD) and the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina (ARSBiH) and supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and Girls (UN Trust Fund), this achievement is the culmination of years of coordinated advocacy, collaboration, and persistence.

A unified response

Until now, survivors of sexual violence in Sarajevo often faced fragmented responses that could sometimes retraumatize their experiences. This ranges from having to recount painful details of violence, to navigate confusing pathways to access justice and care.

The Protocol changes that.

For the first time, it sets a clearly defined, swift, safe, and survivor-centered procedure that all involved institutions – the police, health services, social work centers, prosecutors – must follow. It ensures coordination among all actors, preventing survivors from being lost in bureaucracy or retraumatized by the very systems meant to help them.

“For survivors, this document means they no longer depend on the goodwill of individuals. For women and girls in BiH, this is a message that society is beginning to build a system that believes survivors, protects them, and ensures their access to justice.”, said Dinia Krujeziu, project coordinator at FLD.

A model for survivor-centered leadership and feminist expertise

The process of securing government buy-in was neither quick nor easy as it required institutions with different mandates, internal procedures and levels of readiness to jointly agree on a unified response to cases of sexual violence. A multisectoral working group — including representatives of the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry for Labor and Social Policy, the Cantonal Prosecutor’s Office, the General Hospital “Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakaš,” and Cantonal Center for Social Welfare and FLD — worked side by side for months.

“For many institutions, trauma-informed and multidisciplinary responses to sexual violence were new or insufficiently standardized.”, said Krujeziu, “Therefore, maintaining a consistent focus on the rights and needs of survivors while balancing institutional limitations was essential.”

FLD did not do this work alone. In collaboration with the Safe Network, a local specialized network of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working with women and girl survivors of violence, FLD took on the network’s long-term work in shelters, crisis support, and advocacy.

“[The Safe Network’s] insights helped shape procedures so that they are realistic, survivor-centered and sensitive to trauma.”, continued Krujeziu.

In addition, local organizations representing Roma women and children, women and girls with disabilities, and other community-based groups were consulted to ensure that the Protocol respond to the needs of all women and girls in the canton.

“All institutions must understand that coordinated action is not optional but essential,” said Krujeziu.

Turning commitments into action

In the next phase of this process, FLD and civil society partners will support institutions in the implementation of the Protocol. Within the General Hospital “Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakaš”, a Center for Clinical Treatment of Rape Survivors, the first of its kind to care for survivors of sexual violence. The Center provides medical care, forensic evidence collection, psychological counseling, and social services — a confidential and safe one-stop shop. Survivors no longer have to navigate multiple offices; instead, the system comes to them.

With the UN Trust Fund’s support, FLD will lead the setup of a counselling room within the Center, as well as the employment of an additional psychologist with specialized professional skills to work with rape survivors. In parallel, FLD also works with UN Women Office in Bosnia and Herzegovina (UN Women BiH) to strengthen specialist services for women and girl survivors and at risk of violence.

“The Sarajevo Canton Protocol underscores the value of a systematic, multi-sector approach and sustained collaboration between public institutions and civil society in improving protection, support and access to justice for women and girls.”, said Mersiha Zulcic, Ending Violence against Women Coordination Specialist at UN Women BiH. “UN Women is proud to work alongside government and civil society partners—including the Foundation for Local Democracy (FLD)—to support the development and implementation of measures that contribute to a more effective, accessible and accountable system of response for all survivors.”

The Sarajevo Canton Protocol has already inspired interest in other regions. FLD and the Agency for Gender Equality are using it as a model of best practice to advocate for similar protocols in Tuzla Canton and beyond. For women and girls across Bosnia and Herzegovina, this Protocol sends a powerful signal — that their safety, dignity, and rights matter.