In the procedure carried out based on the complaints of the parents of four minor children from Niš due to discrimination based on disability and health status, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality issued an opinion that the City Administration for Social Activities of the City of Niš violated the provisions of the Law on Prohibition of Discrimination. Namely, the opinion on discriminatory behavior was issued because the children were not provided with the service of a personal companion even though their need for that service was determined but were instead placed on a waiting list primarily because one of the parents is not employed.

After the procedure, the Commissioner recommended that the City of Niš provide the service of a personal companion to these children for the 2023/2024 school year and further, as long as that need exists, as well as to ensure the provision of this service for every child whose need is recognized. Also, it was recommended that they harmonize their by-laws with anti-discrimination regulations in such a way that they do not prescribe discriminatory criteria, such as, for example, the criterion of the labor-legal status of the child’s parent/guardian, as well as that in the future, within the framework of their activities, they adhere to the regulations on the prohibition of discrimination. The Commissioner pointed out that following the law, a parent/guardian cannot be a child’s companion and attend classes.

Considering that the City of Niš did not act on the recommendation even after the issued warning measure, within the legal term of 30 days, the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality, Brankica Janković, following the Law, is notifying the public about it.