lightyellow-ant-216200.hostingersite.com

Year: 2026

  • National Dialogue in Sarajevo Calls for Stronger Protection of LBQ Women from Gender-Based Violence

    National Dialogue in Sarajevo Calls for Stronger Protection of LBQ Women from Gender-Based Violence

    Representatives of public institutions, civil society and the LGBTIQ+ and feminist movements gathered in Sarajevo on 28 April 2026 for a national dialogue on protection from gender-based violence against lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The discussion made one thing clear: recognition must now be followed by coordinated institutional action.

    LBQ women experience violence in their families, intimate relationships, communities, institutions and public spaces. Yet their experiences remain largely invisible within systems designed to prevent violence and protect survivors.

    Although data, testimonies and concrete policy recommendations are increasingly available, many survivors continue to encounter institutions that do not recognise their experiences, services that are not accessible to them and referral systems that fail to provide effective protection.

    The national dialogue brought together public stakeholders, policymakers, representatives of relevant institutions, and feminist and LGBTIQ+ organisations to discuss what must change to ensure that no survivor is excluded because of her sexual orientation or the gender of her partner.

    The event was opened by Jadranka Miličević from CURE Foundation, followed by institutional input from Dr Saša Leskovac, representing the Ministry for Human Rights and Refugees of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Agency for Gender Equality of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

    Elena Petrovska, representing ERA and its WLW Caucus, presented the broader regional reality of gender-based violence against LBQ women, highlighting the patterns and systemic barriers shared across the Western Balkans.

    Jasmina Čaušević from CURE Foundation presented the policy brief for Bosnia and Herzegovina, outlining the gaps in existing protection mechanisms and recommendations for making institutional responses more inclusive, accessible and effective.

    Community priorities and institutional responsibility

    The panel discussion brought together Emina Bošnjak from the Sarajevo Open Centre, Lejla Huremović from the BH Pride March, and Admir Adilović from the Tuzla Open Centre.

    The discussion addressed community priorities, legal and institutional protection, survivors’ experiences and the need for continuous and honest dialogue between institutions and civil society. Panellists emphasised that LBQ survivors must not be required to conceal who they are, educate service providers about their identities or risk further discrimination when seeking support.

    The recommendations presented during the dialogue call for institutions to:

    • formally recognise and adequately respond to violence occurring in same-sex intimate relationships;
    • ensure that shelters and other protection services are safe and accessible to LBQ survivors;
    • provide continuous training for police officers, prosecutors, judges, healthcare professionals and social workers;
    • establish clear, safe and survivor-centred referral pathways;
    • collect relevant and disaggregated data while respecting survivors’ privacy and safety;
    • provide sustainable funding for community-based support services; and
    • introduce effective mechanisms for institutional accountability.

    Participants called on institutions not only to listen, but to act, coordinate and provide meaningful protection. Silence, neglect, prejudice and exclusion are not neutral: when institutions fail to respond, they risk reinforcing the violence and isolation survivors already experience.

    LBQ women can no longer be treated as an afterthought within policies and systems intended to protect women from violence. Survivors should not be sent from one closed door to another, while evidence and recommendations remain without implementation.

    A local and regional struggle

    The dialogue in Sarajevo connects ongoing initiatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina with regional efforts to improve the prevention of and response to gender-based violence against LBQ women across the Western Balkans.

    While legal frameworks, institutional structures and community realities differ across the region, the central demand remains the same: protection systems must protect everyone.

    The fight is both local and regional, and no woman should be left alone because of who she is or who she loves.

    This Event is part of the project: From Data to Protection-Fostering collaboration between key stakeholders on GBV violence against LBQ women in the Western Balkans.

    This project is funded by the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community and the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the ERA LGBTI Association for the Western Balkans and Turkey implementing the project, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community, nor of the European Union.

  • National Dialogue in Serbia Demands Urgent Action against Gender-Based Violence Affecting LBQ Women

    National Dialogue in Serbia Demands Urgent Action against Gender-Based Violence Affecting LBQ Women

    On 25 April 2026, ahead of International Lesbian Visibility Day, ERA and its Women Loving Women Caucus, together with Rainbow Ignite, Labris, Romnjako and L*Communio, opened a national dialogue on gender-based violence against lesbian, bisexual and queer women in Serbia.

    The situation facing LBQ women remains critical.

    LBQ women experience violence within families and intimate relationships, as well as in institutions, public spaces and online. Yet their experiences are frequently misunderstood, minimised or left unrecognised by the systems responsible for providing protection.

    Violence against LBQ women may be treated as a matter of “public disorder” rather than recognised as gender-based violence. Violence within same-sex relationships remains largely invisible, while prejudice and a lack of institutional knowledge can expose survivors to further discrimination when they attempt to report violence or seek support.

    Civil society organisations remain among the few actors consistently providing prevention, counselling, referral and other forms of support to survivors. However, responsibility for protection cannot continue to rest primarily on the organisations already working with limited resources.

    Participants stressed that Serbia still lacks reliable public-sector partners who are prepared to hear the voices of LBQ women, recognise their specific experiences and work together with affected communities. Meaningful protection requires more than occasional consultation; it requires sustained cooperation, resources and accountability.

    Regional evidence and experiences from Serbia

    The event was opened by Dragana Todorović, Executive Director of EL*C, who highlighted the organisation’s continued support for policies across the Balkans that recognise lesbian* women and respond to their specific realities and needs.

    Elena Petrovska, representing ERA and its WLW Caucus, presented the regional perspective on gender-based violence against LBQ women, as well as the findings and recommendations of the policy brief for Serbia.

    Dušanka Tomašević from Labris addressed the support currently available to survivors and the urgent need to improve shelters, referral mechanisms and other elements of the protection system. Survivors must be able to seek help without concealing their identities or fearing discrimination, rejection or further violence.

    The panel discussion brought together Helena Vuković from L*Communio, Danica Jovanović from Romnjako, and Jelena Vasiljević from Rainbow Ignite.

    Panellists discussed community priorities, legal and institutional protection, intersectionality and the experiences of LBQ women facing multiple forms of marginalisation. Particular attention was given to the needs of Roma LBQ women, as well as LBQ women whose experiences are further shaped by poverty, transphobia, racism, disability or other structural inequalities.

    The discussion underscored that there is no adequate response to gender-based violence without an intersectional approach. Protection mechanisms must recognise that survivors do not all encounter violence—or the institutions expected to protect them—in the same way.

    Clear demands for institutional action

    The recommendations presented during the national dialogue call on institutions to:

    • adopt the Law on Same-Sex Partnerships;
    • recognise violence within same-sex intimate relationships;
    • ensure that shelters and protection services are safe and accessible to LBQ and trans women;
    • provide continuous training for police officers, prosecutors, judges, healthcare professionals and social workers;
    • collect relevant data on violence against LBQ women while protecting survivors’ privacy and safety;
    • provide sustainable funding for civil society organisations offering community-based support; and
    • establish clear mechanisms for institutional responsibility and accountability.

    Institutions must not become accomplices in violence through silence, neglect, prejudice or exclusion. When survivors are ignored, misidentified or sent from one institution to another without receiving protection, the system itself contributes to their continued exposure to harm.

    The evidence is now available. The recommendations have been developed. What is needed is implementation.

    The national dialogue represents an invitation to public institutions, but also a demand to recognise their responsibilities and engage seriously with LBQ communities and the organisations working alongside them.

    LBQ women are here, speaking for themselves and refusing to give up. Institutions must now listen, respond and act.

    This Event is part of the project: From Data to Protection-Fostering collaboration between key stakeholders on GBV violence against LBQ women in the Western Balkans.
    This project is funded by the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community and the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the ERA LGBTI Association for the Western Balkans and Turkey implementing the project, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community, nor of the European Union.

  • National Roundtable in Albania Calls for Comprehensive Protection of LBQ Women from Gender-Based Violence

    National Roundtable in Albania Calls for Comprehensive Protection of LBQ Women from Gender-Based Violence

    On 26 March 2026, the Women Loving Women Caucus of ERA – LGBTI Equal Rights Association for the Western Balkans and Türkiye and Aleanca LGBT convened the National Dissemination and Stakeholder Roundtable on Gender-Based Violence against LBQ Women in Albania.

    Invisible to the system, visible to violence. This message framed a discussion focused not only on the evidence collected, but also on the concrete action required to transform that evidence into meaningful protection.

    Held at Europe House, the event brought together institutional representatives, civil society organisations, service providers, advocates and members of the lesbian* community to examine the gaps that continue to leave LBQ women inadequately protected from gender-based violence.

    The event was opened by Xheni Karaj, Executive Director of Aleanca LGBT, who presented the main objectives of the national dissemination and emphasised the importance of bringing research findings into dialogue with the institutions and organisations responsible for prevention and protection.

    Elena Petrovska, ERA’s Project and Advocacy Coordinator, speaking on behalf of the WLW Caucus, presented the broader regional context. She underlined the importance of moving from evidence to concrete action following the large-scale regional research on gender-based violence against LBTIQ women in the Western Balkans.

    From rights on paper to protection in practice

    A central part of the event was the presentation of the Albania Policy Brief by Dea Nini, expert and lawyer from Aleanca LGBT.

    The policy brief identifies critical gaps between Albania’s international human rights obligations and the realities experienced by LBQ women. Although formal legal protections exist, survivors continue to encounter institutional prejudice, inadequate services and protection mechanisms that do not recognise violence within same-sex relationships.

    Closing the gap between rights on paper and protection in practice requires comprehensive reform. The recommendations presented during the roundtable call for:

    • Full implementation of the Istanbul Convention: ensuring that measures for preventing and combating violence protect all women, including LBQ and other LBTIQ women, without discrimination or exception.
    • SOGIESC-sensitive and trauma-informed institutions: providing continuous training for police officers, prosecutors, judges, healthcare professionals, social workers and other frontline service providers.
    • Legal recognition of same-sex intimate partner violence: amending relevant laws and procedures so that survivors can access restraining orders and other protection measures.
    • Safe and accessible protection services: establishing specialised and sustainably funded LGBTIQ shelters, while ensuring inclusive admission procedures across general shelters and support services.
    • A ban on harmful practices: explicitly prohibiting so-called “conversion” practices within healthcare, social services and other institutional settings.

    These reforms are essential to ensure that survivors are recognised by the system, treated with dignity and able to seek support without fear of discrimination, rejection or further violence.

    Building institutional and community cooperation

    The roundtable was joined by Endri Shabani, People’s Advocate, alongside representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Municipality of Tirana, the Council of Europe, the media, women’s organisations providing shelter services and advocating for protection from gender-based violence, LGBTIQ shelter-service providers, civil society leaders and members of the lesbian* community.

    Their participation created an opportunity to connect research findings and community knowledge with the responsibilities of public institutions and service providers.

    Effective protection cannot depend solely on the efforts of civil society. It requires sustained cooperation between institutions, community organisations, legal professionals, service providers and survivors themselves. It also requires adequate resources, clear referral pathways and accountability when institutions fail to respond.

    LBQ women cannot remain invisible within systems intended to protect women from violence. The evidence is available, the protection gaps have been identified and the recommendations are clear.

    It is now time to turn these findings into protection.

    This Event is part of the project: From Data to Protection-Fostering collaboration between key stakeholders on GBV violence against LBQ women in the Western Balkans.
    This project is funded by the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community and the European Union. Its contents are the sole responsibility of the ERA LGBTI Association for the Western Balkans and Turkey implementing the project, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the EuroCentralAsian Lesbian* Community, nor of the European Union.