On International Women’s Day, March 8, 2025, from 10:00 to 10:30 AM, over 230 Bingo stores across Bosnia and Herzegovina will pause operations. Work will also stop at Dita, Pivara Tuzla, Ingram, Kaletex, Duka, at our pasta and paper factories, at Bingo Farma, and at all other production companies operating within Bingo Group, affecting over 9,000 employees.
Women are the backbone of Bosnian society and of the foundation of Bingo Group, with over 6,000 women among our employees. With this act, the company is taking a more active role in supporting women who are victims of violence and announcing a long-term strategic commitment to ensuring their safety and financial stability.
Our support is not merely symbolic.
Bingo Group has secured substantial financial support of 1,000,000 KM. These funds are intended, among other things, to finance the operation of existing safe houses and to assist the brave women who have taken the first step and reported violence. Additionally, to ensure they have the opportunity to achieve financial independence—crucial for their future lives—we are committed, as the country’s largest employer, to giving hiring priority to women who have survived violence.
While Bingo Group pauses, we call on all citizens to take a stand and support the Initiative for the Inclusion of Femicide in the Criminal Code of the Federation of BiH and the Initiative for a New Law on Protection from Domestic Violence in the Republic of Srpska. These initiatives have been launched by the associations “Glas žene” Bihać, “Tim volim život” Cazin, “Izvor” Sanski Most, “Ženska vizija” Tuzla, “Inicijativa građanki/na Mostar” for the Federation of BiH, “Udružene žene” Banja Luka, the citizens’ association “Budućnost” Modriča, and the “Lara” Foundation Bijeljina for Republic of Srpska. Over 9,000 of our employees will sign these petitions. Citizens can join in and sign the petitions in all Bingo stores across BiH on March 8 or online.
At the group level, we are launching a support program for victims of violence, which will enable our female colleagues, if needed, to report abuse anonymously and access appropriate assistance. We will publicly share these procedures to make it easier for other companies to implement similar support systems.
Bingo Group calls on employers to support these initiatives, announcing that from today until March 8, 2025, all of the company’s media space—usually reserved for advertising and promotions—will be dedicated to this initiative, with one key message: It’s time to take a stand and stop the violence!
