Contributed by: Biljana Brankovic, Serbian National VAW Monitor

The Autonomous Women’s Center, Belgrade, has initiated workshops for university students on domestic violence and violence in partnership relations.

Project “Start from yourself” has been carried out in Belgrade at university campuses and faculties. The aim is to motivate youth to participate in prevention of (and protection from) violence. During the three-day workshops, all aspects of violence have been considered, and the Autonomous Women’s Center plans to organize more than 20 workshops for university students until the end of the year.

Student-participants explain that they are interested in the workshops. One student of the Faculty of Electronic Engineering says that his female friend has been a victim of domestic violence, “The father beats her up. I was interested to learn how to help her. Whatever I learn here, I would share with friends, so that they will also know what to do in a similar situation.”

A student of the Faculty of Philology says that she has recognized the problems she has not thought about before, “I did not have anyone to talk about this, since my female friends have not been interested. However, I honestly hope that I would be able to talk to them, so that we could reconsider our love relationships and our position in the society.”

Research showed that 60% of youth had experienced violence in partnership relations.

Published in: "Kreni od sebe," Radio-television station B92, 24 October 2006 (Unofficial translation).