Street action on the occasion of the campaign “Sexual Extortion is Corruption. Let’s Break the Silence!” will be held in Tuzla on Freedom Square on February 23 (Friday), from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., and is organized by the Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly Banja Luka in cooperation with the Civil Movement “Buđenje”.
Statements for the media are planned at 11:30 a.m., at the beginning of the action.
A stand with promotional materials will be set up on Freedom Square, and the goal of the street action is to introduce the citizens of Tuzla and surrounding towns with the term sexual extortion/blackmail in the public and private sector, and efforts to incorporate sexual extortion into legislative policies.
Sexual extortion (sextortion) is a combination of sexual harassment and corruption, that is, a gender-specific form of corruption, which as such is still not formally – legally recognized in the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is important to point out that sexual extortion is a combination of sexual harassment and abuse of entrusted power (corruption). Instead of money in this type of corruption, sex is used as currency. So, on the one hand, we have those entrusted with control (power, authority), and on the other, often vulnerable categories that are usually in a subordinate position.
Interested journalists and citizens will be introduced to the results of the new “Research on the Prevalence of Sexual Extortion in Society”, as well as the “Analysis of Regulations Regarding Sexual Extortion”.
During the research, the interviewees pointed out as reasons for sexual extortion: for the sake of promotion at work, for the sake of starting a working relation/employment, for the sake of taking an exam, and the like…
The analysis of regulations referred to several laws at the level of BiH, RS and FBiH, into which it is possible, if there is a will of the executive and legislative authorities, to integrate sexual extortion as well.
We remind you that we have already organized street actions in Sarajevo, Bijeljina, Banja Luka, Zenica and Modriča.
This activity is implemented within the project “Citizens in the Fight against Silent Corruption”, supported by CCI and USAID.
See you on Friday in Tuzla!
