On May 18, 2026, in Tuzla, at the Mellain Hotel, a working meeting was held with the aim of creating a framework protocol on the behavior of protection subjects in cases of violence, organized by the Gender Center of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Coordinating Body for the Prevention of Domestic Violence of the Tuzla Canton and the Coordinating Body for the Prevention of Domestic Violence of the Posavina Canton, with the support of the Council of Europe.

The working meeting was organized in accordance with the obligations arising from Article 75 of the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and Violence against Women in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Strategy for Prevention and Combating Domestic Violence 2024-2027. year.

The aim of the meeting was to present the working material of the Framework Protocol, exchange experiences and collect proposals and suggestions from representatives of institutions, organizations and protection entities from the Tuzla and Posavina Cantons, so that the future protocol would represent a quality basis for the creation of local protocols for dealing with cases of violence.

This kind of document is extremely important because it clearly defines the roles, responsibilities and way of cooperation of all institutions and organizations involved in the prevention of violence and the protection of persons exposed to violence. In practice, it often happens that people who survive violence are left to fend for themselves, that they do not know who to turn to, or that there is a lack of coordination between different services. This is precisely why it is important to establish a unique, harmonized and efficient system of action that will enable a timely reaction, better protection and more accessible support.

It is particularly important that civil society organizations, including organizations of persons with disabilities, participate in the processes of creating such protocols, because practical experience shows that women and girls with disabilities often remain invisible in protection systems or face additional obstacles when reporting violence and obtaining support.

The participation of I.C. "Lotus" at this meeting was important in order to include the perspective of persons with disabilities in the future protocol and ensure that the protection system is accessible, inclusive and based on human rights. Through many years of work with women with disabilities and other vulnerable groups, I.C. "Lotos" continuously points to the need to develop support services that are available to everyone, without discrimination.

During the meeting, a special focus was placed on the multisectoral approach, coordination and improvement of cooperation between institutions and organizations operating in the field of violence prevention and protection of victims of violence.

The participation of representatives of different sectors once again confirmed the importance of joint action and continuous improvement of the protection system, with the aim of providing timely, adequate and accessible support to persons exposed to violence.