Brankica Janković, the Commissioner for Protection of Equality condemns inappropriate statements that were made against women politicians recently, in particular by certain public figures.

“Within my legal capacity I would wish to stress that each and every person, regardless of the form and manner of communication used, has an obligation to abide by the Serbian Constitution and laws that are effective for all citizens of the Republic of Serbia. I would like to remind everyone that the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination bans any kind of harassment and degrading treatment which is insulting to the dignity of a person or groups of persons based on any kind of individual trait thus creating a hostile, degrading and insulting environment.”

The Commissioner said that much remains to be done in terms of building a tolerant and fair society that would cease to view women through prevailing stereotypes, traditional gender roles and models, but rather through the lenses of professional achievement, individual personal capacities and knowledge.

“I truly believe that the public unmistakably detects and condemns all cases of inappropriate speech targeting any social, minority or marginalized group. This kind of public exposure is mostly used for personal promotion purposes resulting from a desire to have heavy media and public life presence, and not so much for advocating any kind of political views,” said Commissioner Janković.