Belgrade, December 27, 2022  The proposals of the Autonomous Women's Center were given primarily from the aspect of improving the position of women, minors and unaccompanied minors who are in the asylum system, with the aim of their more complete protection and the establishment of a more efficient asylum system in the Republic of Serbia. The comments particularly refer to persons who were exposed to acts of gender-based violence, which are recognized as acts of persecution by Article 28 of the Law on Asylum and Temporary Protection.

The specification of certain provisions is given in accordance with the principle of providing special procedural and acceptance guarantees that are guaranteed to those persons in Art. 17 of the same Law. In creating these proposals, the AWC was guided by the protection and support measures prescribed by international and domestic acts, the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention), the report of the Council of Europe's independent expert group that monitors the implementation of the Istanbul Convention (GREVIO committee) for the Republic of Serbia, the Law on Juvenile Offenders and the Criminal Protection of Minors, the Code of Criminal Procedure and the Standard Operating Procedures for the Prevention and Protection of Refugees and Migrants from Gender-Based Violence.

You can see the comments and suggestions of AWC HERE.