In today’s world, when violence takes different forms and when it is increasingly present in the digital sphere where it becomes the “new normal”, we must not forget that it represents a violation of human rights that must not be tolerated or justified and that it is a shame to be a bully, the same way it is a shame not to report violence, said Brankica Janković, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the start of the global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence”.
This year’s campaign is aimed at the entire society and is a reminder that we all have a social and moral obligation to report knowledge or suspicion of violence. As part of the campaign, a documentary film “It doesn’t concern me… it concerns ALL of us” was filmed, in which the Commissioner also participated.
Domestic violence became a criminal offense 20 years ago, but despite the visible progress in the system of protection against violence, we still have a large number of women killed every year. Many women suffer violence, but older women, Roma women, and women with disabilities are at additional risk of violence and they rarely dare to report it. We have to break stereotypes and provide absolute support to victims of domestic violence, both as individuals and as representatives of institutions”, the Commissioner concluded.
Domestic and gender-based violence is a serious problem that disproportionately affects women and girls. During the filming of the aforementioned documentary only, three femicides took place, and according to the data of an OSCE survey, each third woman in Serbia believes that domestic violence against women is a private matter.
More than 100 countries and over 1,700 organizations participate in the global campaign “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence”. The campaign in Serbia is implemented by the Bureau for the International Fight against Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL) Section of the US Embassy, with the support of numerous organizations dealing with this topic.
