At the meeting with the Commissioner on the protection of gender-based violence victims

The Commissioner for the Protection of Equality has, together with her advisors, attended a working meeting with the members of the Advocacy Group of women and girls gathered around NGO Atina, during which they discussed the improvement of mechanisms for the protection of the rights and the position of victims of all forms of gender-based violence.

Commissioner Brankica Janković, senior advisor Sanja Stanković, and independent advisor, as well as Ivana Filipov, presented the institution's work in the fight against discrimination and promoting equality, especially in the area of protecting the position of victims of gender-based violence.

Members and activists from the Advocacy Group of women and girls gathered around NGO Atina shared the experiences of women regarding direct address to various institutions in the field of the fight against human trafficking, with the aim of realizing their rights and access to justice. The members of the group presented their work and activities, as well as the Recommendations for improving the position of women and girls in Serbia with the experience of gender-based violence, which were created by the group.

The Commissioner and the advisers have shown great interest in the topic and the initiative to support the work of the Group through the mechanisms of this institution, and spoke of the possibility for the Commissioner to create recommendations primarily in court proceedings. One of the ideas that arose from this meeting was also the inclusion of the Group in trainings for professionals from different sectors on the topic of anti-discrimination.

During the meeting, particular attention was paid to the protection of the rights of women from the refugee and migrant population. Advocacy Group members emphasized a number of challenges women from this population face when trying to realize some of their basic human rights. The specificity of the position of women with the experience of gender-based violence who come from this population was specifically addressed when it comes to finding their way in the system that is completely unknown to them, and often insufficiently sensitized to their needs.

NGO Atina supported the establishment of the Advocacy Group of women and girls with the experience of refuge in a desire to open a space for their continuous participation in wider social and political life. The Group aims to advocate for changes and provide support in improving the protection system for victims of gender-based violence. As such, the Group is recognized by international and domestic actors in the fight against gender-based violence as a social factor in achieving a common goal - improving the position of women with the experience of gender-based violence.

The meetings of the Advocacy Group and representatives of relevant institutions are held within the project "Support to girls and women in Serbia in the fight against gender-based violence", implemented in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration and with the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration. 

The news about the meeting can also be found at the website of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality https://ravnopravnost.gov.rs/rs/poverenica-sa-nvo-atina-o-zastiti-poloza...

Meetings of the Advocacy Group and representatives of relevant institutions are organized as part of the project titled “Enhancement of girls and women’s power to resist gender-based violence in Serbia,” in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration and with the support of the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration.