B&H: Improving Implementation of the RS Law on Protection of Victims of Torture/BiH: Potrebno unapređenje primjene Zakona o zaštiti žrtava torture RS

20 September, 2019 – In the period August – September 2019, the Foundation United Women Banja Luka and the Foundation Lara Bijeljina are the partners to the International Organization for Migrations (IOM) in organizing forums for improving and realization of rights, support, and protection for survivors of sexual violence that were organized in Bijeljina, Banja Luka, Sarajevo, and Doboj.

Objective of the forums was to strengthen capacities of the civil society organizations, women and men citizens, and representatives of the governmental institutions working in the area of protection of rights of victims of sexual violence and other forms of torture, based on the Law on Protection of the Victims of War Torture in the Republika Srpska, adopted in 2018.

The Forums enabled exchange of experiences and discussion about obstacles in implementation of the Law, as well as possibilities to improve procedures for realization of rights of torture survivors, with the focus on role of municipal services and civil society organizations that are providing assistance to this category. The forums also focused on strengthening networks of support to torture survivors.

Some of the conclusions and recommendations of the participants at the forums are, as follows:

-To work on promotion of the Law on Protection of Victims of War Torture, and informing the survivors and the general public about the rights protected by this Law. For this purpose, it is important to prepare information and resource package (guide) suitable for distribution and usage in the work of the civil society organizations, as well as the public institutions and services that are having contacts with survivors;
-To enable for survivors of sexual violence to have support and assistance of the person of trust in the process of realizing their rights, similar to the support in cases of domestic violence, trafficking of people and other crimes related to violence, in order to reduce risks of re-traumatization;
– To harmonize other laws and bylaws with the Law on Protection of Victims of War Torture in the Republika Srpska, in order to enable to the survivors to access legally guaranteed rights in the practice.

20. septembar 2019.g. – U periodu avgust –septembar 2019.g., Fondacija Udružene žene iz Banja Luke i Fondacija Lara iz Bjeljine su partnerske organizacije Međunarodnoj organizaciji za migracije (IOM) u organizovanju i održavanju Foruma za unapređenje i ostvarivanje prava, podrške i zaštite za osobe koje su preživjele seksualno nasilje, koji su održani u Bijeljini, Banja Luci, Sarajevu i Doboju.

Cilj organizovanja foruma je osnaživanje kapaciteta organizacija civilnog društva, javnosti i predstavnika javnih institucija za ostvarivanje prava žrtava seksualnog nasilja i drugih oblika torture po osnovu Zakona o zaštiti žrtava ratne torture Republike Srpske, koji je usvojen 2018.g.
Forumi su omogućili razmjenu iskustava i diskusiju o preprekama u primjeni Zakona, kao i o mogućnostima unapređenja procedura za ostvarivanje prava žrtava torture, sa naglaskom na ulogu opštinskih službi i organizacija civilnog društva koje pružaju pomoć ovoj kategoriji. Forumi su se takođe fokusirali na osnaživanje mreža podrške preživjelima u pristupu pravima.

Neki od zaključaka i preporuka učesnika/ca foruma su, kako slijedi:

– Raditi na daljoj promociji Zakona o zaštiti žrtava ratne torture i informisanju žrtava i ukupne javnosti o pravima koje Zakon propisuje. Za tu svrhu bilo bi važno uraditi informacioni resursni paket (vodič) pogodan za distribuciju i korištenje u radu i organizacija civilnog društva i institucija i službi koje dolaze u kontakt sa žrtvama;
– Potrebno je omogućiti da osobe koje su preživjele seksualno nasilje imaju, tokom ostvarivanja prava, pravo na pratnju i pomoć osobe od povjerenja, slično kao u slučajevima nasilja u porodici, trgovine ljudima i drugih krivičnih dijela koja se vezuju za nasilje, kako bi se smanjio rizik retraumatizacije;
-Neophodno je izvršiti usklađivanje zakona i podzakonskih akata sa Zakonom o zaštiti žrtava ratne torture u Republici Srpskoj kako bi žrtve mogle u praksi ostvariti prava koja su im zakonom zagarantovana.

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