The European Union and the Council of Europe awarded a grant to the "Wings of Hope" Foundation from Sarajevo, for the opening of the first safe house/shelter for LGBTI persons in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This safe house/shelter will be open to LGBTI victims of domestic violence from all parts of the country, who need quick relocation outside their household as well as professional and sensitized psycho-social support in a safe environment.

Bojana Urumova, head of the Council of Europe Office in Sarajevo stated:

“With this safe house, LGBTI people in BiH no longer have to choose between being homeless or staying in a household where they are rejected or abused. We believe that the relevant institutions will support this important initiative.”

Gianluca Vannini, Head of the Operations Section for Social Development, Civil Society and Cross-Border Cooperation (EU Delegation) stated that respect for human rights, dignity, principles of non-discrimination and privacy are fundamental values of the European Union.

“Although the establishment of a safe house is a great step forward for the protection of the LGBTI population, we must work together to ensure equal rights for LGBTI people in all areas of public and private life and we must fight against prejudice and stereotypes,” said Vannini.

The opening of the first safe house/shelter for LGBTI persons in Bosnia was made possible with the support of the project “Towards an equal, inclusive and tolerant Bosnia and Herzegovina”, which is implemented within the framework of the joint program of the European Union and the Council of Europe “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey”.