At the University of Sarajevo, a conference was held on March 9, 2026, marking International Women’s Day. Representatives of the academic community, judicial institutions, international organizations, and civil society warned that Bosnia and Herzegovina has a developed legal framework for the protection of women, but that the key problem remains its consistent implementation and the social tolerance toward various forms of violence.

As part of the conference, Prof. Dr. Zilka Spahić Šiljak and Prof. Dr. Jasna Kovačević presented the UNIGEM project activities run by TPO Foundation over the past four years, as well as the results of a follow-up study published in the book Echoes of Change, which examines the challenges women face within the academic community. Gender-based violence is still not sufficiently recognized, and there is not only latent but also open resistance from some individuals to integrating these topics into curricula and study programs. The conference concluded with a lecture by Prof. Dr. Nerzuk Ćurak, who emphasized the importance of de-privatizing violence and transforming patriarchal society into a society of gender equality.