In the organization of the Centre for Gender Equality of the University of Bihać, on November 28, 2022, the presentation of the publication “Violence against pregnant women in Bosnia and Herzegovina – family, health system and work relations” by Dr. sc. Zlatan Hrnčić and the same-titled workshop were held. The event was organized as part of the “16 Days of Activism for Gender Equality” campaign, which the TPO Foundation is implementing in partnership with 19 universities from Bosnia and Herzegovina and the region, as part of the UNIGEM project funded by the United Kingdom Government. The moderator of the promotion and same-titled workshop was Dr. sc. Jasmina Bešlagić, coordinator of the Centre for Gender Equality, University of Bihać.
The book was written out of the need to hear the voices of B&H women and the problems they face in the family, within the health system, and in working relationships in the period 12 months before pregnancy, during pregnancy, and 12 months after pregnancy, and in connection with violent behaviour that can be classified under physical, psychological, sexual and economic violence. It is intended for experts, and scientists, but also for the wider interested public, and includes the theoretical framework of violence, marriage, family, and pregnancy, as well as an overview of research on violence, and a summary of research on violence against pregnant women and the childbirth culture in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The research for the book was conducted on a sample of 518 respondents, where about 1,200 pregnancies were processed, it contains an overview of qualitative research, and 11 processed stories of pregnant women, that is, processed experiences of 33 pregnancies. The stories give an overview of situations that pregnant women experienced before, during, and after pregnancy.
The motto of this year’s UNIGEM campaign is “Look, speak out against the violence”, and it is part of the global campaign “16 days of activism”, which is marked by over 6,000 organizations in over 180 countries in the period from November 25th to December 10th with the aim of raising public about the need for active engagement in the fight against violence.
In addition to this event, several other activities will be held at the partner institution of the UNIGEM project, the University of Bihać: Creation of location maps for reporting violence and guidelines for seeking help if and when violence occurs, then round tables, student visits, presentations, and discussions.
