Sarajevo will open Bosnia and Herzegovina’s first specialized clinic for rape survivors on September 29, providing medical care and coordinated institutional support in one location.
The clinic will operate within the Gynecology and Obstetrics Department of the Prim. Dr. Abdulah Nakaš General Hospital in Sarajevo.
It will provide comprehensive and specialized health care to people over the age of 18 who have survived rape in Sarajevo Canton.
Sarajevo Rape Survivor Clinic Offers Coordinated Care
The clinic will bring together medical professionals, police officers, prosecutors, forensic experts and social workers to reduce the need for survivors to move between multiple institutions after reporting sexual violence.
Medical staff at the hospital will provide immediate clinical care and conduct the necessary examinations while coordinating with judicial and law enforcement authorities.
Survivors will receive protected identification codes and priority treatment intended to safeguard their privacy and dignity throughout the process.
The multidisciplinary system is designed to provide faster access to medical assistance, forensic procedures and other forms of institutional support.
First Specialized Facility of Its Kind in Bosnia
The clinic’s establishment follows the adoption of Sarajevo Canton’s Protocol for Handling Rape Cases in November 2025.
The protocol was the first of its kind in Bosnia and Herzegovina and established a coordinated response involving health care providers, police, prosecutors, social services, psychologists and civil society organizations.
Its objective is to prevent survivors from facing lengthy and potentially retraumatizing procedures across several separate institutions.
The new Sarajevo rape survivor clinic is also intended to provide care in line with the Istanbul Convention, which calls for accessible and appropriate support centers for survivors of rape and sexual violence.
The Local Democracy Foundation participated in establishing the clinic as one of the institutions and organizations that signed the protocol.
