OSCE trains police cadets to strengthen criminal justice responses to gender-based violence in Banja Luka

From 9 to 12 December, the OSCE Transnational Threats Department, the OSCE Mission to Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Police Academy in Banja Luka conducted four one-day basic training courses for police cadets on gender-based violence (GBV) in Banja Luka. The training sessions were delivered by national police officers, a prosecutor, a judge, a psychologist and other local experts.

The sessions equipped 196 cadets, including 151 men and 45 women, with foundational skills on gender-sensitive policing to address violence against women and girls with a victim-centred, multi-sectoral approach. The training courses, delivered by national police officers, a prosecutor, a judge, a psychologist and other local experts, focused on understanding the trauma endured by victims, often for extended periods.

“It is of the utmost importance to provide training on gender-based violence for police cadets, who will inevitably encounter issues of domestic violence and other criminal acts in this area on a daily basis in their future roles. It is particularly beneficial for them to have the chance to attend lectures and engage with prosecutors, judges, and other professionals who are involved in dealing with these cases in the course of their daily work activities,” emphasized Aleksandar Miladinović, Deputy Head of the Police Education Administration of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Republika Srpska.

“Gender-based violence and domestic violence are serious crimes that police officers must handle in a way that protects and supports the victims. When the police succeed in doing that, it builds vital trust between them and the public,” said Bjorn Tore Saltvik, OSCE Project Manager.

As part of the training, the Centre for Youth Education (CEM) from Bosnia and Herzegovina performed the play “Lullaby Goodbye”, a dramatization based on the true story of a teenage girl who fell victim to online exploitation, which had life-changing consequences for her.

The cadets also watched “Domestic Violence”, a documentary produced by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) that features real-life cases of gender-based violence in the United States, providing valuable insights into the complexities of addressing such incidents.

The training initiative aligns with broader regional efforts, as similar training courses have been organized in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and North Macedonia, and will be offered in Albania and Serbia. In 2024, a total of 1,113 police cadets have been trained through this project.

This effort is part of the OSCE extra-budgetary project, “Enhancing Criminal Justice Capacities for Combating Gender-based Violence in South-Eastern Europe,” funded by Austria, Finland, France, Germany, Italy and Norway.