1 November 2011, ref. no. 1279/2011

Acting within the framework of legally prescribed competencies to monitor the implementation of laws and other regulations, initiate the adoption or amendment of regulations in order to implement and promote protection against discrimination, and give opinions on the provisions of draft laws and other regulations concerning the prohibition of discrimination, as well as to recommend to public authorities and other persons measures to achieve equality (Art. 33, para. 1, items 7 and 9 of the Law on the Prohibition of Discrimination, “Official Gazette of RS”, no. 22/09), the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality gives the following

RECOMMENDATION

1. The Joint Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia will undertake all necessary measures, when drafting the new Rules of the Serbian Armed Forces Service, as well as instructions for regulating the fulfillment of obligations arising from these rules, which are currently in the draft stage, aimed at introducing gender-differentiated names of the Serbian Army’s ranks, and at removal of terms by which women are addressed in official speeches differently, depending on their marital and family status.
2. The Joint Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia will take all necessary measures within their competence in order to create conditions for the use of gender-differentiated language in official communication, in accordance with the principle of gender equality.
3. The Joint Staff of the Serbian Armed Forces and the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Serbia will inform the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality of the planned and undertaken measures to be implemented in accordance with this recommendation, within 30 days from the date of receipt of the recommendation.

COMMISSIONER FOR THE PROTECTION OF EQUALITY

Dr. Nevena Petrušić