As of August 1, 2025, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina officially has a law that recognizes femicide—the most extreme form of gender-based violence—as a distinct criminal offense. The Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of FBiH was published in the Official Gazette of FBiH, No. 58/25, fulfilling all formal conditions for its full implementation in practice.
These legal amendments introduced Article 166a – Aggravated Murder of a Female Person, stipulating that gender-based murder of a woman shall be punishable by a minimum of ten years in prison or long-term imprisonment. Additionally, the law now includes a legal framework for recognizing gender-based violence as an aggravating circumstance in criminal offenses.
The publication of the law in the Official Gazette is not merely an administrative act—it marks the culmination of a long-standing struggle by civil society organizations, experts, and citizens for the legal recognition of femicide as a specific form of crime. At the heart of this effort was the campaign “We Will Not Die in Silence”, led by the organization Glas žene from Bihać, with support from the PRAGG project and in partnership with associations from Tuzla, Cazin, Sanski Most, and Mostar. With the support of the community and over 100,000 citizen signatures, they succeeded in pressuring lawmakers to bring femicide out of the zone of minimization. Despite resistance and delays—including the cancellation of a House of Peoples session “due to security concerns”—the law was first adopted in the House of Representatives, then in the House of Peoples, and has now officially entered into force.
"I am proud and happy that we have succeeded in amending the Criminal Code of FBiH and finally enshrined femicide as a distinct criminal offense. This is a historic moment for all women in our society in terms of protection from gender-based murder. This victory is the result of months of advocacy, community mobilization, brave voices, and public pressure. It is a shared victory for all who have lived this struggle with us over the past year. We will not stop. We will continue—fighting for safety, dignity, and justice for every woman," said Neira Raković, campaign coordinator of “We Will Not Die in Silence” and representative of the organization Glas žene from Bihać.
The adoption of this law sends a clear message that the murder of women will no longer be treated as “family tragedies” or “crimes of passion.” However, a law is just a tool—and to be effective, it must be used. The organizations that led this fight have already launched efforts to educate the judiciary, police, and social work centers, but lasting systemic change will require political will, budget allocations, and institutional accountability. Without that, there is a real risk that this becomes just another word in the law—and not a new chapter of justice for women.
