Engaging Faith Actors to overcome Harmful Social Norms and Practices: Fighting Violence Against Women and Children in Bosnia and Herzegovina

Preparing for her participation at the World Bank Fragility Forum in Washington, D.C., Dragana Bulic is increasingly alarmed by recent research showing that youth in Bosnia hold more rigid views and gender stereotypes than adults. She will be speaking about World Vision’s work with faith actors to fight gender-based violence and violence against children at the forum.

As a seasoned humanitarian professional and a mother of a teenage daughter, I work and live in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) where gender-based violence, including femicide, is on the rise. Unless gender biases, prescribed gender-based roles and unequal power relations are tackled, the future will be grim for the next generations of girls and women.

In the past two decades, non-governmental organisations and state institutions have made scattered and slow progress in addressing gender-based violence. But the situation on the ground shows that we need bolder tactics and decisive, collective action to change harmful social norms and practices.

Invested in tackling violence against children and gender-based violence (GBV), World Vision has taken an innovative approach by partnering with religious leaders as influential, motivated and trusted carriers of much-needed social change in its work in BiH.

"Countless are examples of violence of which I know of in my community, and it is usually based on violence within families, where mostly male members unfairly try to dominate women and their children," quote by a religious leader in one of BiH communities, involved in the project.

Entrusted with financial support from the European Union, World Vision BiH and the Bosnia and Herzegovina Interreligious Council are carrying out a two-year project entitled “United in Faith in combating violence against children and gender-based violence’.”

The approach of this program is based on research stating that two thirds of BiH citizens declare as religious and place high trust in their churches and religious communities.[1]  It also considers findings from World Vision’s 2023 research about gender roles and stereotypes in BiH. This research highlighted the rigid views of young people on gender equality. For instance, 37 percent of youth respondents between the ages of 18 and 25 consider men to be better leaders than women, while 11 percent of them believe men are smarter than women.

World Vision BiH engages faith leaders in raising awareness and addressing the harmful implications of negative and biased attitudes, behaviors and practices, as well as those most affected by them – women and youth.  This context-adapted approach, based on the Channels of Hope for Gender methodology, brought together religious leaders from four dominant churches and religious communities in BiH to adapt the approach. This anchored the United in Faith project and its interventions in common Guiding Principles from the religious texts of these churches and religious communities that are relevant to understanding the problem.

One of the United in Faith actions was to engage women and create a platform for their voices to resonate in local communities. Together with the Interreligious Council, World Vision formalized the Network of Women Believers and worked with them to strategize their actions at the grassroots level.

To create an environment of changed social norms to allow all children to reach their potential, the United in Faith program fosters inter-generational dialogue and mobilizes a network of youth associations from across BiH.  Trained on the topics of violence against children (VAC) and GBV, empowered young people are supported in their efforts in promoting small projects and advocacy initiatives that contribute to the change of gender norms and the prevention of violence in their communities.

After the first year of implementation, the United in Faith project is already showing progress in addressing VAC and GBV, and a potential need for in-depth inter-generational and inter-religious dialogue as vehicles of reconciliation and peaceful, progressive coexistence of BiH citizens and communities.

Dragana Bulic is World Vision’s Bosnia and Herzegovina National Director. She will be leading an interactive “Chai Chat” discussion at the Fragility Forum on Thursday, 29 February at 9:30AM ET highlighting World Vision’s work with faith actors to tackle gender-based violence  and violence against children.

She can be reached at the World Bank Fragility Forum from 27 - 29 February via WhatsApp +0038763694123 and email dragana_bulic@wvi.org.