Social work Student Association has invited Autonomous Women’s Centre to participate in the Fourth Regional Congress of Social Work Students, which is held in Belgrade from 12 to 15 of May 2016. Tanja Ignjatović from AWC has delivered an introductory speech within the first panel „Social Work and the role of NGOs in combating violence against women“. Students from Sarajevo, Ljubljana, Mostar, Banja Luka, Podgorica, Zagreb and Skopje also took part in this panel.
At the international conference on specialized support services for women victims of violence, held in Sarajevo on the 5th of May, Autonomous Women's Center presented the situation in Serbia in the panel "Experiences from the region - cooperation between governmental and non-governmental sector in the realization of specialized services for women victims of domestic violence".
Within the project "Stronger institutional response to gender-based violence in the AP Vojvodina" (UNTF), implemented by the Provincial Secretariat for Health, Social Policy and Demography in cooperation with the Center for Women's Rights in Kikinda, Autonomous Women's Centre was invited to coordinate the preparation of a guide for coordinated treatment of local services in the prevention and protection of women from violence.
Autonomous Women’s Centre considers that it is necessary to improve the proposed provisions of the Draft Law on Asylum and Temprorary Protection concerning the protection of female migrants and asylum seekers, in accordance with the Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women, ratified by Serbia in 2013.
GREVIO has launched the monitoring of the implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women. Having adopted its questionnaire, which it will use in this process, this expert group published a provisional timetable for monitoring the Parties to the Convention for the years 2016 and 2017.
On 4th of March, European Commission proposed for the European Union to ratify the Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women. The proposal to accede to the Istanbul Convention will be discussed in the European Council and in the European Parliament, whose consent is needed in this process.
Amendments to the Criminal Code developed by the Autonomous Women’s Center have been confirmed by the member of the GREVIO Expert Group, Ms. Vesna Ratković in an analysis on compliance of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Serbia with the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence. This is important recognition of the quality of AWC work, after an acknowledgment given in the Report of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Nils Muižnieks.
The Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, Mr. Nils Muižnieks has welcomed the ratification by Serbia of the Istanbul Convention and (re)commended “tools” developed by the Autonomous Women’s Center to monitor implementation of this international treaty.
The publication on the institutional response to violence against women and domestic violence, which is observed from the perspective of professionals from seven relevant services in 9 cities/municipalities in Serbia (Belgrade, municipality New Belgrade, Pancevo, Backa Topola, Sremska Mitrovica, Krusevac, Uzice, Cuprija, Nis and Leskovac), contains an overview of definitions of the term(s), the data of previous studies on the prevalence of violence, a description of the current legislative, strategic and sub-legal framework, the characteristics of procedures, as well as information about the experiences of women victims of violence in the contact with the institutions.
Autonomous Women’s Center is disappointed by the fact that the Ministry of Justice, with the assistance of the UNICEF, developed a draft Law on Juvenile Criminal Offenders and Criminal Legal Protection of Juveniles, in which the level of achieved rights for the protection of children’s rights is reduced. The proposed draft reduces the list of crimes that will be treated by judges, prosecutors and police officers who have special training in dealing with cases where children are victims. The draft of law also abolishes the current obligation of the state to set up an attorney for the child, the victim of violence, from the circle the lawyers who would represent him/her in the proceedings, leaving the prosecutor's offices and courts that in its own discretion decide whether to give that right to the child.