Not Just Women and Girls: The Impact of the Gender Binary Distinction on Male Gender-Based Violence in the Balkan Context

This paper explores the impact of the inaccurate and harmful exclusion of male victimization in public policy regarding gender-based violence following the wars of the former Yugoslavia in the early 1990’s, using secondary sources to conduct cultural discourse analysis. By recounting the lack institutional and medical support available to male survivors, this project highlights the dangers of uninformed public policy, recommending a comprehensive and survivor centered approach to institutional support. Through a gender-sensitive understanding of victimization and gender-based violence, justice and adequate assistance can be provided to all survivors.