For these purposes, the Ministry's budget has allocated a total of 1,100,000 BAM, of which one million BAM is intended to support safe houses and shelters for the temporary accommodation of violence victims, while 100,000 BAM is allocated for the operation of a free SOS helpline in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
This year's novelty is that the SOS helpline is being funded from the budget for the first time, following the adoption of the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence and the Rulebook issued this year by the Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy, which stipulates that this SOS helpline will be funded from the Ministry's budget in the amount of 100,000 BAM.
Non-profit organizations that manage safe houses or provide services for victims of domestic violence are eligible to participate in this public call. Funds will be allocated based on clearly defined general and specific criteria, including the number of victims assisted, accommodation capacities, and secured other sources of funding.
The goal of the public call is to ensure the continuity of social care and support for victims of violence, as well as the availability and sustainability of key services such as safe houses and SOS helplines, which represent the first and often the only point of assistance for individuals, most often women and children, who suffer violence.
Federal Minister of Labor and Social Policy Adnan Deliฤ emphasized that the Ministry is continuously working to improve the support system for victims of violence.
"Year after year, we strive to ensure better and more stable care for victims of violence in safe houses, as this is the minimum responsibility we as a society must have. This public call is part of that continuity, as well as a clear commitment to making the system sustainable in the long term," Deliฤ stated.
He added that the Ministry is simultaneously working on systemic solutions that will further advance this area.
"Through the new Law on Social Services, we aim to make a leap forward and ensure that the funding of safe houses no longer depends on project calls but becomes a stable and predictable budget obligation, which will enable organizations to work more securely and provide victims with continuous and quality support," he emphasized.
The public call remains open for 15 days from the date of publication, and applications are to be submitted in accordance with the prescribed procedures of the Federal Ministry of Labor and Social Policy. All necessary documentation can be found at this link.