The Assembly of the Sarajevo Canton adopted a Resolution on prevention and suppression of gender-based and sexual harassment and violence in the Canton, proposed by the caucus of the Representatives of Our Party, Vildana Beslija, Neira Dizdarević and Vibor Handžić.
The Resolution emphasizes that sexual harassment and violence are one of the most common forms of violence, which are also the most easily tolerated and for which the legislation does not have an adequate sanctioning mechanism.
It is stated that this includes unwanted sexual behaviors that do not necessarily involve physical contact, and put the person in an awkward and humiliating position and cause a sense of shame.
-The key aspect of this type of harassment and violence is power, because it is often carried out by a person who is in a more powerful position than the person over whom it is carried out, which leads to the situation that sexual harassment is used as a tool of power and influence. Sexual harassment is often treated as a trivial problem that can be easily avoided and stopped, which is usually not true- it was pointed out in the Resolution.
The Representatives' caucus of that party believes that the Government of the Sarajevo Canton, in cooperation with experts from relevant fields, should urgently draft an urgent procedure in the Assembly for adoption and submit a draft law on prevention and prohibition of gender-based and sexual harassment and violence in the Sarajevo Canton, a proposal for a rulebook on the rules of conduct for employers and workers in relation to the prevention and protection against harassment at workplace in the Sarajevo Canton and a proposal for a protocol on dealing with cases of reported harassment and violence.
The Representatives have obliged the Government of the Sarajevo Canton to urgently establish expert working groups to develop an action plan for the prevention and suppression of gender-based harassment and sexual harassment and violence, and to establish a 'Help Line' for reporting gender-based and sexual harassment and violence.