The refugee crisis in recent months is one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time.Innocent civilians, primarily from Syria and Afghanistan, suffering terribly - more than 11 million people have left their residence.
War against refugees continues at the border. Symbols of “fortress Europe” – wire, iron, men in uniforms on Hungarian side aren’t looming out. There are too many symbols of their violence anyhow – rubble, ruckus everywhere around… For them, but also for all other guardians of nation states, refugees and all others, all of us who are supporting them are sub - humans – untermenschen (redundant, who were, during the Nazi period, burned in crematoriums or by thousands murdered in Srebrenica, today exploited to death in endless chains of corporative power). It has various faces: yesterday, both refugees and we were, for them, completely, nonexistent, invisible, overlooking of our presence and mutual act of solidarity. Militaristic strategy of exhaustion “the border will be closed until the last refugee goes away…” one of the policemen from Serbian side of the border told us.
At the invitation of Ms. Nada Drobnjak, Head of the Gender Equality Committee of the Parliament of Montenegro, Tanja Ignjatović from Autonomous Women’s Center has presented Indicators for monitoring implementation of provisions of the Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women at the 53rd session of the Gender Equality Committee.
Autonomous Women’s Center has submitted to MPs total of 2.500 citizens’ signatures to support introduction of emergency barring orders in the Law on Police.
Serbian Deputy Prime Minister Zorana Mihajlovic, who also chairs the Government’s Coordination Body for Gender Equality, has supported the introduction of emergency barring orders in the Law on Police, after Autonomous Women’s Center had addressed an official letter. She forwarded the AWC’s initiative for the introduction of emergency barring orders to the Ministry of Interior, with a request to reconsider the possibility of introducing additional powers for police officers.
Mr. Dusan Milisavljevic, MP, has organized a press conference at the National Assembly of the Republic of Serbia, in order to support Autonomous Women’s Center’s proposal for the introduction of emergency barring orders in the Law on Police. Representatives of AWC, Vanja Macanovic and Tanja Ignjatovic, also took part in this press conference.
Minister Stefanovic has responded to the Autonomous Women’s Center regarding the AWC proposal to introduce emergency barring orders in the Draft Law on police. AWC has proposed, among others, two amendments to the draft Law on the police – one for the changes of Art 53 in relation to police powers; and the other, a new article (after Art. 82) – “Measure of temporary vacation from the residence and a temporary ban on contacting certain people”.
The coalition “prEUgovor” has prepared the Report on progress of Serbia in Chapters 23 (Judiciary and Fundamental Rights) and 24 (Justice, Freedom and Security), which is going to be presented at 11:00 at Media Center in Belgrade.
European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations, with regard to the Screening Report for Serbia on Chapter 24, that has not set up any benchmark regarding women's enjoyment of human rights with respect to justice, freedom and security.
The letter is available on this link.
Autonomous Women’s Center and Network Women against Violence have submitted an open letter to the ministers Selakovic, Stefanovic and Vulin regarding so called new proposals to protect women from violence.
