“Increasing numbers of reported cases of domestic violence do not suggest that violence is on therise in Serbia. It means that victims feel empowered to report violence and that they put theirtrust in institutions to protect them”, Justice Minister Nela Kuburović said at today’s Not a SingleOne Anymore Conference held at the Belgrade Town Hall to mark the International Day for theElimination of Violence against Women and the beginning of the global 16 Days of Activismcampaign.
Minister Kuburović pointed out that from the beginning of the implementation of the DomesticViolence Prevention Act (1 June 2017) until the end of October 2019, more than 119,000domestic violence cases had been looked into.
“Since the adoption of the Act, public prosecutorshave proposed that urgent measures imposed by the police be extended in 41,914 cases, and thecourts have extended such measures in 41,397 cases. In other words, the system acted pre-emptively in 41,397 cases thus preventing major violence”, Minister Kuburović explained. Sheadded that in the same period coordination groups had developed 34,347 individual, victim-specific plans of protection and support measures.Minister Kuburović indicated that such efforts had led to improved conduct of all authorities-in-charge, which was best observed by comparing data on the implementation of the Act duringJune−October 2017 and June−October 2019.
The latter period is marked by positivedevelopments in all categories, the greatest advancement by far being the number of developedindividual plans for protection and support. Specifically, the figures for those five months of2017 and 2019 are 3,379 and 8,342, respectively, which is a 121 per cent increase.Minister Kuburović added that, apart from the Domestic Violence Prevention Act, amendmentsto the Criminal Code had also been made, criminalising stalking and sexual harassment. “Overthese two and a half years, 140 persons have been convicted of sexual harassment and stalking”,Minister Kuburović specified, adding that further support to victims was ensured through theFree Legal Aid Act, which entered into force 1 October 2019.
President of the Savski Venac Municipality and Chair of that municipality’s Gender EqualityCouncil Irena Vujović emphasised that there was zero tolerance for violence against women.
Shementioned that there were now many socially responsible companies employing shelteredwomen to empower them economically, since financially dependent women found it difficult toreport violence and to leave their abusers.
The Shelter Coordinator Vesna Stanojević observed that the treatment of victims by theauthorities-in-charge and the society was far better nowadays than before, as was the funding −all of which gave hope to those troubled women, including knowing that they mattered and thatthey had not been forgotten.
The conference was organised by the Social Welfare Secretariat, in cooperation with the AmicusCitizens’ Association, to raise public awareness about violence against women.