How sufficient are the services provided to victims of sexual violence in shelters in Bosnia and Herzegovina?

Abstract

There are eight (8) shelters that provide services for victims of violence against women and domestic violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All shelters are run by the non-government organisations that have a long tradition in providing protection and support services to victims. Within the scope of work of these shelters, support services are also provided to women victims of sexual violence. This paper presents the research findings on capacities of shelters in providing specialized services to victims of sexual violence in accordance with the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) from 2013. Analysis results point out on significant issues regarding the shelters’ capacities in terms of accommodation, scope of professional services provided, education of professional and sensibility to work with victims of sexual violence, and supervision available to professional staff. The research design included content analysis of relevant legislative documents and empirical studies. The research findings presented in this paper include many aspects of services available to victims of sexual violence in shelters. Another important finding opened a significant question on where are the boys of mothers who are victims of sexual violence that are placed in shelters in BiH. Specialised services are provided in all shelters in BiH, but depend on individual capacities in terms of finances and human resources of each shelter.