Autonomous Women's Center has prepared a Shadow Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child (NON) Protection of children in Serbia.
After the CEDAW Comitee had recognized specific concerns in its Concluding observations on the Second and Third periodic report, the Republic of Serbia submitted its response on this point. Regarding this document, Autonomous Women's Center submitted its views to the CEDAW Committee.
On 24th of June, representatives of Autonomous Women's Center participated in an expert meeting on defining Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for institutional conduct in cases of gender based violence in crisis situations. The meeting was organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Serbia, which has prepared the preliminary draft National Standard Operating Procedures for Prevention of and Response to Gender Based Violence in Crisis Situations, in cooperation with the Republic Institute for Social Protection.
Ministry of Interior accepted the majority of comments that Autonomous Women's Center had submitted to the Draft Law on Asylum and Temporary Protection. AWC's proposals were related to the harmonization of the draft Law with the Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women in terms of recognizing gender based violence as a form of persecution and a basis for subsidiary protection, as well as developing gender-sensitive reception procedures and support services for asylum-seekers.
The main topics of the new Independent Report of Serbia’s Progress in Chapters 23 and 24 were gender equality and corruption.
The prEUgovor coalition will present its independent report of Serbia’s progress in implementation of policies in the area of judiciary and fundamental rights (Chapter 23) and justice, freedom and security (Chapter 24) at the conference in Media Center, on Friday, 20th May at 11:30am.
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.
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.
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.