Most of the Western Balkan nations have passed laws and regulations to combat violence against women, but activists say implementation remains incoherent. A man in Bosnia killed his wife and streamed the murder live on Instagram in August 2023, and in neighboring Serbia, 27 women have been killed in gender-based attacks so far this year. Activists point to frequent impunity, and weak sentences even when attackers are found guilty.
Compiled from: Jovana Gec, Sabina Niksic and Zana Cimili, "Brutal killings of women in Western Balkan countries trigger alarm and expose faults in the system," Associated Press, Dec. 5, 2023.