On the occasion of April 14, the Memorial Day for Survivors of Sexual Violence during the Kosovo War, Women in Black, the Autonomous Women’s Center, and the Youth Initiative for Human Rights are organizing a street action on April 14, 2026, at 12:00 at Republic Square in Belgrade.
The Autonomous Women’s Center, in partnership with the Alternative Girls’ Centre from Kruševac, Women’s Center Užice, Association for Women’s Labour Rights – ROZA from Zrenjanin, and KOKORO Association from Bor, has launched activities aimed at preventing sexual harassment of young people in both school and work environments. The objective of this action is to call for a systematic response to the insufficiently researched and often overlooked issue of sexual harassment of young people in educational contexts, particularly in cases where perpetrators are adults in positions of authority.
During the public debate on the Draft Law on amendments to the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence, which was held from November 12th till December 2nd, 2025, without public presentation on proposed amendments, Autonomous Women’s Center submitted comments and suggestions to the draft law.
Members of the prEUgovor coalition, including AWC, concluded at the presentation of the new ALARM report that the ruling party is the main anti-systemic actor undermining Serbia’s constitutional order. It has no intention of improving the electoral process or discontinuing harmful practices. Amendments to criminal legislation cause more harm than good, the judiciary is under clear pressure, and operational autonomy of the police can no longer be claimed. Civil society is subject to attacks and obstruction, even in the area of victim support.
The Republic Institute for Social Protection – Department for Professional Supervision proposed amendments to the Expert-Methodological Guidelines regulating the exercise of personal relations between a child and a parent and relatives in supervised conditions (adopted in 2021). These Guidelines were the only document introducing the pseudoscientific “parental alienation” concept into professional use. The Autonomous Women's Center made a significant contribution to this revision, which was also supported by the recently published recommendations of the Council of Europe's GREVIO expert group.
This call is published in the frame of Module 5 of the Project “Amplifying Voices of Women affected by war-related SGBV in the Western Balkans – For a culture of Recognition and Reconciliation” (June 2024 – August 2027). Aim of the project is to contribute to creating a culture of recognition and reconciliation in the Western Balkans, which enables women survivors of war related SGBV to live in dignity and free from violence. It is implemented by Medica Zenica and Vive Žene (Bosnia and Herzegovina), Kosova Rehabilitation Centre for Torture Victims and Medica Gjakova (Kosovo), Women in Black, Autonomous Women’s Centre and Youth Initiative for Human Rights (Serbia), together with medica mondiale e.V. (Germany).
An artistic performance at the N.EON gallery marked the launch of the campaign “Till Death Do Us Part” by the Autonomous Women’s Center, aimed at preventing femicide as one of the most serious social problems not only in Serbia, but across the region. The campaign was supported by renowned fashion designer Marija Tarlać, whose unique black wedding dress, as the central element of the performance, becomes a symbol of the fight against femicide.
Civil society organizations, including the Autonomous Women’s Center, welcome the 2025 European Commission Report on Serbia, which for the first time explicitly confirms what we already know — a serious backsliding in democracy, human rights, and fundamental freedoms, as well as a prolonged stagnation in the country’s EU integration process.
At the beginning of September, the Ministry of Justice initiated a public debate process on the Draft Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Criminal Code. The draft proposed the introduction of the criminal offense of Sexual Intercourse Without Consent, which would be considered a less severe crime compared to Rape. In response, the Autonomous Women's Center organized an ad-hoc campaign against this proposal, arguing that it is unnecessary to introduce a lesser offense and that the definition of the basic form of the criminal offense of rape should be amended so that it includes any non-consensual sexual intercourse, including cases where there was no physical resistance from the victim. This is also the only way for the Serbian Criminal Code to align with the provisions of the Istanbul Convention on sexual violence, which the country ratified back in 2013.
The Autonomous Women's Center submitted its comments and proposals on the Draft Program for the Control of Small and Light Weapons, Ammunition and Explosive Substances in the Republic of Serbia for the period 2025-2030 with the accompanying Action Plan.
