The observations and recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child were presented by Suzana Paunovic, Director of the Office for Human and Minority Rights, who said that the Committee had given 41 recommendations with a special emphasis on banning corporal punishment of children. The Committee’s recommendations concern the adoption and harmonization of child-related laws, establishing an ombudsman for children’s rights, inclusive education and improving health care for Roma children and women to reduce the death rates among this segment of the population.

UNICEF representatives presented the data on the position of children in Serbia. Compared to 2011 Serbia’s human capital had dropped in 2016 in the number of children by 39,500, which make up 17.3% of the population. Poor children are the most in Serbia 100,000 of which live in absolute poverty and 370,000 are at risk of poverty. According to the research, children living in poverty are followed by children with disabilities and developmental difficulties and Roma children who number between 60,000 and 200,000. Death rates among children, nutritional status and vaccination were also among the topics of discussion. The MPs exchanged views on education and early childhood, child marriages, labour and underage pregnancies. They also talked about children and migrations stating that of the 3500 refugees in Serbia 43% are women and children 500 of which have been included in regular schooling.

UNICEF’s Ana Prodanovic presented the U-Report digital platform, a social messaging tool available to everyone to report on problems, support children’s rights and take active part in changes for the benefit of the community. Some of the platform’s many benefits are raising awareness on basic rights and strengthening the chain of responsibility through the publication of publically available data.

Ines Cerovic, Director of the Child Rights Centre, spoke about the Centre’s activities on creating a social and legislative framework conducive to the full exercise of children’s rights through various activities, positive policies and practices so as to allow children to fully participate in society.

In the continuation of the sitting, the Committee members noted the resignation of Committee Deputy Chairperson Milena Bicanin and elected Nada Lazic to the post.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Deputy Chairperson Milena Bicanin and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Veroljub Arsic, Prof. Dr Vladimir Marinkovic, Gordana Comic, Milanka Jevtovic Vukojicic, Nada Lazic, Ana Karadzic, Dr Danijela Stojadinovic, Dubravka Filipovski, Milena Corilic, Gorica Gajic, Marija Jevdjic, Natasa Jovanovic, Sandra Bozic, Elvira Kovacs, Natasa Mihailovic Vacic and MP Ljiljana Malusic, member of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality.