Thursday, 22 September 2016

Sixth Sitting of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality

At the sitting held on 22 September, the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality reviewed the Commissioner for Protection of Equality 2015 Regular Annual Report, presented to the Committee members by the Commissioner for Protection of Equality Brankica Jankovic.


The 20% increase in cases handled by the Commissioner means an increase in the number of people who recognize discrimination and are ready to react to it.

The Commissioner for Protection of Equality said that, statistically, the complaints of gender discrimination are in the lead with 22.1%, nationality comes in second with 18.4%, followed by disability 11.3% and age 9.4%. Discrimination as a phenomenon most often crops up in the employment process or at work and it is the only sphere of social life where women filed more complains than men. This followed by citizens’ complaints against discrimination perceived in the work of public bodies, in the use of public services and public buildings and areas.

Brankica Jankovic said that the citizens, civil society organisations and legal entities had submitted 797 complaints, and using its legal authorities the Commissioner issued 215 recommendations and measures for achieving equality, 17 opinions to drafts of laws and of other general documents, filed one criminal charge and one proposal for the assessment of constitutionality and legality, issued nine warnings and 35 notices. The Commissioner for Protection of Equality assessed the acceptance of its recommendations for the elimination of discrimination as positive, since these were accepted in almost 90% of the cases. In the remaining 10% of the cases the Commissioner addressed the public in the attempt to reduce discrimination as much as possible. Also, most of the complaints to the Commissioner came from Belgrade and neighbouring areas, while the least came from the territory of Kosovo-Metohija, just 0.2%.

As regards the advancement of the Commissioner’s work in 2015, the institution passed a development strategy for the coming period i.e. 2016-2020. The Annual Report on Serbia’s progress in the European integration process and the European Commission’s positive opinion to the Action plan for Chapter 23 were important documents for the Commissioner’s work in the last year.

In the ensuing debate the MPs listed the most vulnerable groups - women, persons with disabilities, national minorities, who were subject to double or multiple discrimination. The Committee members agreed to pass the Conclusion on the Commissioner for Protection of Equality 2015 Regular Annual Report at a subsequent sitting.

The Committee members also adopted the Decision to organise a hearing on “2017 Draft Action Plan for the implementation of the Roma Social Inclusion Strategy in the Republic of Serbia, for the period 2016-2025”, on 10 October 2016, in the Small Hall of the National Assembly House, at 11 am.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Chairman Meho Omerovic and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Maja Videnovic, Ivana Nikolic, Olena Papuga, Marina Ristic, Stefana Miladinovic, Nikola Jolovic, Ljibuska Lakatos, Marija Janjusevic, Milanka Jevtovic Vukojicic, Tijana Davidovac, Tatjana Macura, Olivera Ognjanovic, Elvira Kovacs, Biljana Malusic and Enis Imamovic.


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friday, 29 march
  • 9.00 - the National Assembly Speaker meets with the Head of the EU Delegation to Serbia (National Assembly House, 13 Nikola Pasic Square, Speaker’s Cabinet)

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