Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, participated in the conference “Challenges of monitoring in the European multicultural environment” organized by the Institute of Social Sciences and the Academic Network for Cooperation in Southeast Europe.

At the opening of the conference, the Commissioner stated that Serbia has a good legal framework, and that the institution of the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality has met more standards in that area than some members of the European Union, but that citizens expect more concrete things when it comes to the protection of their human and minority rights. There is a big problem in society because people feel injustice, especially since there are cases of selective justice, she pointed out.

It is necessary to ensure full enjoyment of rights and equal treatment for members of national minorities in education, work, employment, social and health protection, and housing to enable their greater participation in economic and social life. She stated that the Commissioner continuously implements activities to empower members of National Councils of National Minorities to recognize and respond to discrimination, as well as trainings of employees in state authorities and other institutions to eliminate stereotypes and prejudices of employees.

The Commissioner presented data from the practice of the Commissioner’s institution, which shows that nationality and ethnic origin are among the five most frequently cited grounds of discrimination in citizens’ complaints, as well as that most of these complaints concern the position of Roma men and women. She added that complaints most often relate to unequal treatment of members of national minorities in proceedings before public authorities, in the public sphere, in the field of work and employment, in the provision of public services, education, public information, and the media.

Goran Bašić, from the Institute of Social Sciences, opened the conference, and in addition to Commissioner Janković, Elise Cornu from the Division of National Minorities and Minority Languages ​​of the Council of Europe, and Tomislav Žigmanov, Minister for Human and Minority Rights and Social Dialogue, spoke at the opening.