15 women have been killed in domestic-partner violence in Serbia in the first 7 Months

30th of July 2019, Serbia: Since the beginning of 2019, 15 women have been killed in domestic-partner violence in Serbia, according to data from the Network of Women Against Violence, which issued a press release on the occasion.

In the murder case in Novi Sad on May 24, when a man, in addition to his wife, killed her parents and the killings in Pancevo, on July 12, the killers had pronounced measures forbidding access under the Domestic Violence Prevention Law. The Women Against Violence Network believes that these killings could have been prevented by proper risk assessment and legal action.

When it comes to dealing with violence, it is a fact that women with experience of violence often do not want, because of fear or any other reason, to join the prosecution of the perpetrator, but this does not relieve the acting police officer of the obligation to file a criminal complaint ex officio.

It is true that Serbia does not have enough space in safe houses. It is also true that no by-laws for certain laws have been adopted and that a single database has not yet been established. It is well known that the conditions in which representatives of the institutions work are often inadequate. All this, however, is not a justification for not complying with the law.

In its conclusions regarding the implementation of the Convention Against Discrimination Against Women, 2019, the CEDOW Committee looks at what women’s groups recognize as one of the great challenges in protecting women from violence in Serbia – the “inadequate risk assessment” of escalating violence.

That is why we urge the main public prosecutor’s offices, centers for social work and police in Serbia to involve women’s groups in the work of coordination and cooperation groups and to consult them when establishing a risk list and developing a victim protection plan. Women’s groups are familiar with the history of certain specific cases of violence and their assessments and opinions can be of great importance for the protection of women.

A good risk assessment is the key to a well-designed protection plan and perhaps the key to saving someone’s life, says Network of Women Against Violence.

Od početka 2019. godine, računajući i najnoviji slučaj u Šapcu, od 28. jula, u Srbiji je u porodično partnerskom nasilju ubijeno 15 žena, podaci su Mreže žena protiv nasilja, koja se ovim povodom oglasila saopštenjem za javnost.

U slučaju ubistva u Novom Sadu, 24. maja, kada je muškarac, osim supruge ubio i njene roditelje i ubistva u Pančevu, 12. jula, ubice su imale izračene mere zabrane prilaska po Zakonu o sprečavanju nasilja u porodici. Mreža Žene protiv nasilja smatra da su ova ubistva pravilnom procenom rizika i postupanjem po zakonu mogla biti sprečena.

Kada je reč o postupanju u slučaju nasilja, činjenica je da žene sa iskustvom nasilja često ne žele, iz straha ili nekog drugog razloga da se pridruže krivičnom gonjenju počinioca, ali to ne oslobađa postupajućeg policijskog službenika obaveze da podnese krivičnu prijavu po službenoj dužnosti. Tačno je da u Srbiji nema dovoljno mesta u sigurnim kućama. Tačno je i da nisu doneta podzakonska akta za određene zakone i da nije, još, uspostavljena jedinstvena baza podataka. Poznato je da su uslovi u kojima rade predstavnici institucija često neadekvatni. Sve to, međutim, nije opravdanje za nepostupanje po zakonu.

U zaključcima u vezi sa primenom Konvencije protiv diskriminacije žena, 2019., CEDOW Komitet osvrće se na ono što i ženske grupe prepoznaju kao jedan od velikih izazova u zaštiti žena od nasilja u Srbiji – “neadekvatne procene rizika“ od eskalacije nasilja.

Zato pozivamo osnovna javna tužilaštva, centre za socijalni rad i policiju u Srbiji da u rad grupa za koordinaciju i saradnju uključe ženske grupe i konsultuju ih prilikom utvrđivanja liste rizika i izrade plana zaštite za žrtvu. Ženske grupe poznaju istoriju određenih konkretnih slučajeva nasilja i njihove procene i mišljenje mogu biti od velike važnosti za zaštitu žene.

Dobra procena rizika ključ je dobro napravljenog plana zaštite i možda ključ da se spasi nečiji život.