The Autonomous Women's Center invited all citizens to join in sending comments and suggestions to the Ministry of Justice on the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code introducing the milder crime of Sexual intercourse without consent. The Ministry of Justice is requested to withdraw that proposal, as well as to alter the definition of the basic form of the criminal act of rape so that it should include any involuntary sexual relationship, including cases in which there was no physical resistance of the victim.
The Autonomous Women's Center submitted general comments to the Working Group for the Development of the National Strategy for Realizing the Rights of Victims and Witnesses of Criminal Crimes in the Republic of Serbia. All comments that were made during the drafting of the expiring Strategy remained the same.
The Autonomous Women's Center, in a comment submitted to the Republic Institute of Statistics, praised the general characteristics and content of the Draft Program of Official Statistics in the period from 2026 to 2030. The plan to increase the volume of activities compared to the previous period and the ambition to speed up the pace of changes, in order to harmonize the official statistics of the Republic of Serbia with international statistical standards, were especially praised.
For the eighth year in a row, the Autonomous Women's Center is preparing a review of the implementation of the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence. In 2024, 27,211 incidents of domestic violence were registered, which is 4.2% less than in the previous year. This should not be interpreted as a decrease in the incidence of domestic violence in Serbia, because no such trend can be seen. Men were the most frequent perpetrators of domestic violence (82.6%), while the majority of victims were women (71.6%). Violence in a partner relationship is the most common form of domestic violence (54%).
Bearing in mind that a number of victims of human trafficking come from families experiencing domestic violence, including sexual violence, as well as the fact that the Law on Prevention of Domestic Violence (the implementation of which the Autonomous Women's Center has been monitoring for eight years) in Art. 4, provides for the application of Art. 24-27 on other criminal acts as well, including human trafficking, comments in principle were submitted on the proposed text of the Draft Law on Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking and Victim Protection.
In the past six months (November 2024 – April 2025), much has changed and stirred in Serbia—but not the reforms tied to its EU integration. This is the main conclusion of the new prEUgovor Alarm Report. The collapse of the Novi Sad railway station canopy on 1 November 2024 revealed that the consequences of corruption, politicised institutions, and dysfunctional oversight can be fatal and anyone can fall victim. Citizens began to gather spontaneously to pay tribute to the victims and demand accountability.
“Together for a feminist Europe” — a powerful message shared by MEP Thomas Waitz during our exchange in the European Parliament — became a symbolic takeaway from this year’s Brussels Advocacy Week. More than a slogan, it embodies the hope and determination behind our continued advocacy for inclusive, values-based EU enlargement.
2025 Urgently stop the political persecution of activists of the youth group STAV and members of PSG
Citizens' associations and media associations, including the Autonomous Women's Center, demand an immediate end to the political persecution of activists of the youth group STAV and members of PSG. A number of them were arrested after the broadcast of an audio recording that was created by eavesdropping on a meeting in which they participated, and after the media immediately "judged" that it was terrorism and the overthrow of the state, which was later repeated by the highest officials of the Republic of Serbia.
The Autonomous Women's Center, as well as numerous other organizations, strongly condemn today's intrusion of armed police without a proper court order into the premises of non-governmental organizations.
Civil society organizations, including the Autonomous Women's Center, have suspended cooperation with the legislative and executive authorities in Serbia. The press release read as follows: Owing to the students, an increasing number of citizens realize that there will be no prosperity for Serbia until the institutions start working in accordance with their competences and until the concentration of power in the hands of those who are not in charge has been reduced. In this way, unreserved support was provided to all the students' requests.
The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation and partner organizations from the Western Balkans conducted the 2024 Advocacy Week in Brussels from November 11 to 15.
