Anti-discrimination law updated – great step forward in Bosnia and Herzegovina
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In a very welcome update from Bosnia and Herzegovina, ILGA-Europe have learned that LGBTI people are to be better protected thanks to updates to anti-discrimination legislation.
This afternoon (14 July 2016), the House of the Peoples adopted amendments to the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination. Sexual orientation and gender identity were more accurately defined in local languages by the new amendments. In addition to these changes, sex characteristics was explicitly added to the list of protected grounds. These amendments had previously been approved by the Representatives House in early July.
This means that intersex people will now be protected by law from discrimination in all spheres of life.
ILGA-Europe send our warm congratulations to our member organisations in Bosnia and Herzegovina who have dedicated many years to this campaign. Their hard work has all paid off today.
The introduction of these anti-discrimination legislative changes is a visible step forward under Bosnia and Herzegovina’s EU accession commitments. These amendments also follow other recent positive laws and policy developments, including the adoption of hate crime laws in Federation of BiH and LGBTI-inclusive equality plans, both at state and at federal level.
ILGA-Europe are very keen to see these new amendments, law and policies being brought to life and implemented in full, for the benefit of all LGBTI people in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
- For more detailed information and links to the amendments, read the news update issued by our member organisation Sarajevo Open Centre.
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For more information please contact
Emma Cassidy at +32 2 609 56 50; emma@ilga-europe.org
Notes for editors:
- ILGA-Europe is the European Region of ILGA, the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association and works for human rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans & intersex people in Europe. ILGA-Europe represents over 400 member organisations in 45 European countries: www.ilga-europe.org
- For information on the legal and policy situation for LGBTI people in Bosnia and Herzegovina (last updated before these amendments were voted on), visit our Rainbow Europe Module: https://rainbow-europe.org/#8625/0/0