At the sitting held on 5 May, the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality was presented the Commissioner for Protection of Equality’s Special Report on Discrimination against Women.

Commissioner for Protection of Equality Nevena Petrusic presented the Commissioner for Protection of Equality’s Special Report on Discrimination against Women saying that it rounds up the five years of the institutions’ work. She added that the report presents a cross section of the current situation and lists all types of discrimination against women. Analysing the reports of state bodies, civil society organisations and international organisations, we systemised and presented the findings and assessments of the position of women in different spheres of social life, said Nevena Petrusic. Women from multiply marginalised and discriminated social groups were of particular interest. The activities aimed against discrimination are conducted in an environment of deep-seated sexism, gender stereotyping and prejudice. Despite the adopted laws, strategies, action plans and protocols, the victims of violence continue to wonder through the labyrinths of the legal system without help or support, said Petrusic. She added that in the last year, 27 women lost their lives in domestic disputes. However, she said that there has been visible progress in the establishment of institutional mechanisms for the implementation of gender equality policies, among them, first and foremost, the establishment of the Government’s Gender Equality Coordinating Body.

The Commissioner for Protection of Equality recommends having more women in leadership positions and the future gender equality law to include a provision requiring 30% of the less represented sex to be employed by all government bodies. She said that the report contains 40 recommendations and is an appeal to all public administration bodies, civil society bodies and the media to join forces in suppressing the ideology of sexism, stereotype and prejudice, using all at the system’s disposal to prevent discrimination.

In the continuation, the Assembly was addressed by Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinator of the Government’s Gender Equality Body Zorana Mihajlovic, National Assembly Deputy Speaker and coordinator of the Women’s Parliamentary Network Gordana Comic, UN Resident Coordinator in Serbia Irena Vojackova–Sollorano and other representatives of independent state bodies and civil society.