After the 20th regular session of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of the Federation of BiH, at which the proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH was to be considered, was not held due to the failure to adopt the agenda, there was a strong outcry from organizations that had been working for years to have femicide, as the most extreme form of gender-based violence, recognized as a separate criminal offense in the legislative framework of the Federation of BiH.

The association Glas žene from Bihać, as well as associations from Tuzla, Cazin, Sanski Most, and Mostar, which, with the support of PRAGG, are implementing the campaign "We Will Not Die in Silence", reacted by expressing their indignation and disappointment with the outcome. They stated: "The full session was not held at all due to political reasons and certain turmoil within the Parliament. In this way, the message was sent that femicide is not a priority for the representatives, but rather politicking for which there is no justification. This kind of action by the legislative body towards the proposal that should provide women in the Federation of BiH with better legal protection from gender-based violence is unacceptable".

According to announcements, the new session of the House of Representatives should be held on May 28, 2025, and its planned agenda will again include the Proposal for the Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH.

Although the Speaker of the House of Representatives, according to the association, promised that the Law would be regularly nominated and placed on the agenda, they hope that this is the last time and emphasize that any new delay in its adoption would be unacceptable.

“We welcome the resumption of the agenda and expect that the session will proceed smoothly and that the Law will be voted on. However, if there is another postponement, if they do not adopt the agenda again, that would be extremely politically immature behavior on the part of all representatives. And we will be forced to call on citizens to protest,” said the representative of the Glas žene association.

She added that they expect representatives to fulfill what they previously promised, and as she stated: “They promised unquestioning support and that they will vote for this Law, as well as that they are all committed to supporting the amendment of certain regulations, in that sense and the new criminal offense, namely the introduction of femicide as a separate criminal offense. We want them to remain consistent in that direction.”

We remind you that the adoption of the Law in Parliament will create the basis for femicide to become recognized and prosecuted in practice as a separate criminal offense.

"A legal requirement would be created to be able to fight femicide, the most extreme form of gender-based violence, because now, all our efforts that we make as non-governmental organizations towards institutions to behave responsibly are our goodwill. However, even when we have everything legally resolved, we will still have to work seriously and address institutions. It will be necessary to educate them, to raise their awareness, to give them certain skills, so that they can investigate, prevent, and prove this crime," the Association concludes.