Domestic violence is a serious social problem that includes physical, psychological, sexual, and economic abuse of family members, and is considered a criminal offense. The problem has existed for a long time and escalated over the past decade, when it began to be discussed more openly in society and the public. According to statistics, the perpetrators of these crimes in the Republika Srpska are male in over 87% of cases, while in the last five years, that percentage has increased and is over 90%, and domestic violence is often equated with violence against women. Last year, 25 cases of violence against women and domestic violence were recorded in the municipality of Bratunac, which is a huge number for a small community like Bratunac. According to estimates by associations dealing with these issues in the municipality, this number does not reflect the actual number of cases that have occurred, because, due to the state of society, social, economic, and political circumstances, victims of domestic violence still have difficulty deciding to report the perpetrators. In addition to these cases, cases of peer violence that can be linked to family relationships are becoming more common, including cases where children witness violence or are themselves exposed to domestic violence, which is reflected in their behavior at school and in society in general.

For these reasons, UŽ Priroda, in cooperation with UŽ Maja and the ART association from Bratunac, launched activities at the end of February 2026 to develop and adopt an Action Plan for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence for the Municipality of Bratunac. This would contribute to the promotion and improvement of multisectoral cooperation for the prevention and suppression of domestic violence and gender-based violence, as well as reducing the risk of recurrence of violence. According to the coordinator from UŽ Priroda, Pjevalica Željana, this Plan needs to be developed in cooperation with all relevant organizations and institutions in the municipality, and as a new policy, it would include a set of violence prevention measures, which would be monitored through the local budget in the coming period.

At the very beginning of the activities, meetings were held with representatives of the Center for Social Work, the Municipal Commission for Gender Equality, representatives of the Department of Economy and Social Affairs, as well as the President of the Bratunac Municipal Assembly. The meetings aimed to familiarize themselves with the planned activities, as well as to coordinate and harmonize them, where necessary. During the meetings, support for further cooperation was expressed, as well as readiness to participate in the activities, with the announcement of a roundtable on this topic.