As part of the global campaign "16 days of activism against male violence against women", the Autonomous Women's Centre points out the consequences for women and children of violence committed by intimate partners during and after court proceedings to determine parental care of children and calls on all relevant state bodies - committees, ministries, institutions, as well as professional organizations involved in the creation of policies and standards, to approach with due care the systematic and practical solution of this issue, in accordance with the highest standards of protection and support to all victims and in the best interests of the child.
Autonomous Women's Centre and Women in Black from Belgrade with the support of the Women's Association Anima from Đulići (BH), Nena - Group for Peace and Women's Rights from Leskovac, Polimlje Women from Prijepolje, Bona Fide from Pljevlja (Montenegro), SOS hotline for women and children victims violence from Vlasotince, organize a street action, in mourning and silence, on December 6, 2021 from 1 pm to 2 pm, in Republic Square, termed "Stop killing women".
At a time when all continents, in most countries of the world, are marking the thirtieth anniversary of the global campaign "16 Days of Activism Against Violence Against Women", in Serbia, the media are calling on the citizens to stop the traffic blockade announced as part of Saturday's protest by citizens dissatisfied with the situation in the country on various issues by throwing buckets of purple paint . It is inadmissible and absurd to call upon citizens to confront one another, and even more inadmissible to do so by usurping the term "lilac revolution" and purple, which are symbols of women's movement and organization.
The Autonomous Women's Centre strongly condemns the hate speech and direct discrimination of director Dragoslav Bokan towards Marinika Tepic and all members of the Romanian national minority, and demands urgent action by the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality of the Republic of Serbia. The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, pursuant to Art. 46 of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination, has the right to file a lawsuit in her own name and on her own initiative to the Court for protection against discrimination, which is why we demand that the Commissioner act immediately in accordance with her legal powers.
Today, the Autonomous Women's Centre filed a complaint with the Regulatory Body for Electronic Media for violating the dignity of survivors of sexual violence in the war in the show "Mental Workut" on NOVA S. television.
During the reporting period - from May to October 2021 - the implementation of formal activities in certain areas of Cluster 1 continued at an accelerated pace, especially in connection with the constitutional changes in the field of judiciary. These activities are mostly of a normative character, representing only the initial step towards the desired social change, and are still lacking tangible results. The activities are also mostly late and are compensating for the processes that should have been completed a few years back. As part of the civil society, Coalition prEUgovor is still not satisfied with the quality of the process of drafting laws, strategies and policies, or the resulting solutions.
Citizens' associations significantly participate in providing free legal aid and support to citizens in the Republic of Serbia. Three associations, including AWC, provided significantly more free legal aid and support services than 98% of municipalities in Serbia. Although the state does not provide funds to associations for the provision of these services, it imposes obligations on them under the threat of punishment. See the new infographic of the coalition prEUgovor.
In light of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty - which in Serbia we welcome with devastating data showing that about half a million people are unable to meet basic living needs, and that the share of people at risk of poverty or social exclusion is among the highest in European countries and amounts to 34.3%.
With the opening of the exhibition "Speaking Out" by War Childhood Museum from Sarajevo in the Endzio hub in Belgrade, on October 2, 2021, the Youth Initiative for Human Rights opened a Thematic week dedicated to the fight against sexual violence in war. In addition to the exhibition within the thematic week, panel discussions, book promotions and film screenings were organized, in order to remind the public in Serbia of the problem of sexual violence in the war and the needs of survivors.
The Autonomous Women’s Center’s analysis “Social Housing Policies - Possibilities for women who have survived violence, and how they can realize their rights”, was presented to the public on October 8th in Belgrade, at an activist meeting attended by representatives of women’s associations from Uzice, Nis, Kragujevac, Krusevac, Novi Becej, Leskovac, Common Action for “The Roof Over Our Heads” from Novi Sad, The Standing Conference of Towns and Municipalities, as well as the Coordination Body for Gender Equality.
