In Bosnia and Herzegovina today, it is almost impossible to imagine something that would bring together people of all nationalities, religions, and political affiliations. Even when it rains, there will be those who look at it with suspicion.
Yet, miracles do happen, and one just did in BiH. On International Women’s Day, March 8, citizens united around the campaign “It’s Time to Stop and End Violence!”. Even the front pages of daily newspapers (Nezavisne, Oslobođenje, Večernji…) on Friday, March 7, did not feature politicians but instead carried the message urging people to stop and provide the necessary support to women. Even football clubs did not want to miss the opportunity to be part of this magnificent social responsibility campaign. Every top-tier league match last weekend began just as shown in the cover photo.
To recap, on Saturday, March 8, International Women’s Day, all Bingo stores across Bosnia and Herzegovina – more than 230 locations – paused operations for half an hour (from 10:00 to 10:30). But it wasn’t just the stores; Dita, Tuzla Brewery, Ingram, Kaletex, Duka, a pasta factory, a paper factory, and even Bingo Farma – all factories, farms, and production companies operating under the Bingo Group, employing over 9,000 workers – also came to a halt!
Incredible Energy and Unprecedented Response
That day, an incredible energy filled Bingo stores, production facilities, and even electronic media. Nearly all major newsrooms covered the campaign in prime time, with some even pausing their broadcasts to display the message “It’s Time to Stop.”
Adding to the impact, Bingo – the largest domestic company – donated all its available media space to inform the public about NGO initiatives aimed at improving legislation for punishing violence against women and femicide. Given this commitment, it’s no surprise that the “It’s Time to Stop and End Violence” campaign achieved fantastic results in just a few days.
Over 100,000 citizens signed the initiative to introduce femicide into the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH and the initiative for a new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence in Republika Srpska – with 65,000 of those signatures collected in Bingo stores on March 8 alone. The campaign also received support from hundreds of businesses of all sizes and industries.
I have never seen such a response and reaction in my career, especially not in the modest Bosnian market.
Via Media’s CEO Haris Mujanović has promised me an exclusive interview, where I will ask him how a campaign of this scale even comes to life, how they came up with the idea, and what it takes to bring it to reality. Now that I’ve publicly announced it, he’ll have to find the time – despite his famously tight schedule!
