More than 9,000 employees work in the companies that make up the Bingo Group, with over 6,000 of them being women. In order to contribute, the domestic retail chain – Bingo Group – joins the initiative to introduce femicide as a separate criminal offense in the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The initiative to introduce femicide as a separate criminal offense in the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina was launched by the "Glas žene" Association from Bihać, together with the associations "Tim volim život" from Cazin, "Izvor" from Sanski Most, "Ženska vizija" from Tuzla, and "Inicijativa građanki/na Mostar." The awareness raised by these associations about the importance of this issue and the introduction of femicide into the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is confirmed by the move of the Bingo Group, which, through this initiative, supports the aforementioned associations. Under the slogan "It's Time to Stand and Stop Violence," work in over 230 Bingo stores across Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as in all other companies within the Bingo Group, will be suspended for half an hour on Saturday, March 8th, which marks International Women's Day. Additionally, this socially responsible company has allocated 1 million KM for the work of safe houses and announced that women who have been victims of violence will have priority in employment. Furthermore, the Bingo Group also supports the associations "Udružene žene" from Banja Luka, "Budućnost" from Modriča, and the "Lara" Foundation from Bijeljina, which advocate for the adoption of a new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence in the Republic of Srpska.
The large number of femicide and violence against women cases in recent times in our country has prompted the public in Bosnia and Herzegovina to raise their voices and stand in defense of the physically weaker gender. Protests have been organized across Bosnia and Herzegovina, with calls for the harshest penalties for abusers and changes to the law. In response, civil society organizations launched an initiative to include femicide as a separate criminal offense in the Criminal Code of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The initiative has been accepted by the majority of members in the House of Representatives of the FBiH Parliament. Now, it is awaited that the Federal Ministry of Justice will urgently make amendments and supplements to the Criminal Code of the Federation, which would include femicide in Article 166a. The proposed amended text should be submitted to the FBiH Parliament, which is expected to adopt it in an expedited procedure in the House of Representatives.
While non-governmental organizations and socially responsible companies are determined to have femicide included in the Criminal Code, the relevant institutions are the ones slowing down the process. One of the goals of the "We Won’t Die in Silence" campaign, which has been carried out for months by the mentioned associations, is the prevention of femicide, as well as encouraging responsible and professional work from the institutions involved. This primarily refers to the police, prosecutors' offices, courts, and social work centers.
"It is illusory to expect that there will be no killings of women. We cannot fully prevent this phenomenon by introducing femicide as a separate criminal offense, but we can respond to it adequately. On the other hand, a certain number of femicides could have been prevented. Risk assessments could have been carried out in individual cases, which the police and other relevant institutions failed to do. We have gender-based violence on the rise, and that is what is worrying, with femicide being the ultimate consequence", points out Raković, emphasizing the need to start education and awareness-raising within families, and continue it through educational institutions. Ultimately, Raković stresses that the entire society must be involved in addressing this social problem.
The first step has been taken by the Bingo Group, and this is an opportunity to call on all companies, institutions, agencies, and every citizen to contribute. One of the steps is signing the petition by March 8th, either in Bingo stores or online. Another way to contribute is by ending the silence!
Later, Hayat TV joined the campaign: "Thirty minutes of silence, thirty minutes of pause, thirty minutes that call for reflection and action. During this time, there will be no new programs on Hayat TV. This symbolic break will not only be a broadcasting interruption; it will be a call for change, a call to raise awareness about gender-based violence, a call to protect and support women", reads the official statement on Hayat TV's website.
You can contribute by signing the petition at this link: https://www.bingotuzla.ba/vrijemeje/
