No. 07-00-00377/2016-02  Date: 20.01.2017.

OPINION

Opinion was issued in proceeding upon complaint filed by J.B. from Belgrade against Social Care City Center in Belgrade, Zvezdara department, because of discrimination on grounds of marital and family status. Complainant stated that decision of Social Care City Center in Belgrade, Zvezdara department, that declined her request for adoption as unfounded, was based on wrongly determined facts, prejudices and provisory reasons for rejection that qualified her as unsuitable for an adoptive parent and consequently denied her the possibility to realize herself as a parent. Complainant thinks that explanation of this decision consists of arbitrarily and non-factual estimation of her family situation and relations in primary family and she considers them to be not only incorrect but also irrelevant for the case in matter, expressing her suspicion that fact that she entered the adoption process as single, without partner, wishing to adopt a child of Roma nationality, have influenced the decision. In their response to complaint, Social Care City Center in Belgrade, Zvezdara department, stated that during the expert proceeding members of the expert team have acted in accordance with valid legal regulations, respecting professional standards, where marital status of complainant did not influenced to negative decision. They stated that the expert team’s final decision was made on basis of multi-dimensional evaluation of J.B. for adoption capacity. It was determined during the proceedings that custodial authority expert team members reports were based on facts and reasons that were not in correlation with marital and family status of complainant, but were stated as facts, through overall analysis and capacity evaluation of J.B., without positive or negative evaluation of her status. For that reason, Commissioner for the Protection of Equality issued an opinion in proceedings upon complaint filed by J.B., stating that it was not determined that J.B. was discriminated on grounds of marital and family status by decision of Social Care City Center in Belgrade, Zvezdara department, that declined her request for adoption as unfounded because she was not suitable to become adoptive parent.

Commissioner for the Protection of Equality

Brankica Janković

Opinion was issued in proceeding upon complaint filed by J.B. from Belgrade against Social Care City Center in Belgrade, Zvezdara department, because of discrimination on grounds of marital and family status