Contributed by: Biljana Brankovic, Serbia National VAW Monitor

Each year, Serbian NGOs organize the campaign “16 days of activism” from November 25 to December 10, 2006. The campaign will be coordinated by the Autonomous Women’s Center. The slogan of the campaign is “Do you see violence against women?”

The campaign is aimed at mobilizing political and social authorities, as well as the general public, and to initiate joint preventive and protective actions. Statistical data, published in the 2006 in-depth study on VAW of the UN Secretary-General will be used in the campaign (e.g., the findings on number of women – victims of domestic violence who were killed by partners or ex-partners).

Women’s NGOs will also try to attract the attention of the public to the problems in institutional response to violence – Serbia has not yet created a National Strategy to Combat VAW, reliable statistical data do not exist, and the work of state institutions responsible for victims’ protection has not been coordinated.

Within the campaign, the Autonomous Women’s Center will organize six round tables at universities, and other women’s NGOs throughout Serbia will carry out wide-ranging actions at the local level.

Women at Work, in cooperation with the Autonomous Women’s Center and Reconstruction – Women’s Fund, will organize numerous street performances in Novi Sad, Velika Plana Kragujevac, Novi Becej, Leskovac, Nis, Grocka, Krusevac, and Uzice. Performances will be aimed at symbolic representation of the everyday life of women who are faced with violence, believing that there is no way out. However, the goal of the performances is also to inspire audiences to reconsider the scope of the problem and to convey a positive message that numerous actions have been carried out in a long-lasting struggle against VAW.

Promotional materials are designed for the campaign (See: the photo of the leaflet above). Suggestions for measures that should be undertaken at the national/state level in order to reach compliance with recommendations of the Council of Europe are published in the leaflet (e.g., quotations from Resolution 1512, 2006). Contact details of women’s NGOs engaged in supporting victims are also provided.

A video, radio jingle, poster and leaflet of the campaign (in Serbian) can be downloaded on this website:

Compiled from: 25.NOVEMBAR-Pocetak kampanje- Performans, Website of Autonomous Women’s Center, 19 November 2006; listserv of women’s NGOs zenskaposla.