Coalition for Equality STEP continued networking activities of civil society in promoting equality and tolerance and combating discrimination in Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo. After the presentation of the activities at the beginning of 2013 across Serbia, Montenegro and Kosovo, STEP will organize on Friday 13 September, at the premises of the Office for Youth town of Sabac, training for activists involved in the work of civil society and those who want to engage in activism for human rights and the promotion of tolerance and equality. (more…)

At meeting held on June 13, 2013 Constitutional Court reached decisionwhich declared unconstitutionality of Article 128, para. 1 and Article 129 of the Law on Electronic Communications. These provisions of the Act were contrary to Article 41 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to privacy of correspondence and other means of communication, and states that deviations from the guaranteed rights are only allowed upon a court decision, if necessary to conduct criminal proceedings or protect the security of the Republic Serbia. (more…)

Research and analysis of the current situation    

Researching and analysing the current situation comprises the introductory phase of the project and is tied to the implementation of the other activities of the project. Its objectives are to evaluate the current state in Serbia of discrimination in the educaton system and to compare it to examples of good practice in the EU, the current legal framework and the available mechanisms for rights protection as well as their implementation.

Besides comprehensive analyses of international, European and national legal frameworks on discrimination and the procedure for rights protection, the activities encompassed consultative meetings with representatives of beneficiaries – from the Ministries of Education and Science, representatives of other state bodies, representatives of the non-governmental sector and academic community. Within the framework of researching and consulting with beneficiaries and the expert public, the suitability of existing instruments for rights protection, awareness of discrimination issues in the education system, the quality of the implementation of the existing instruments on rights protection were examined in detail, and alternative views of resolving discrimination issues were considered (including comparative examples of best practice). The results of the research, collected materials and consultations with interested actors, in accordance with the project’s aims, serve to implemement the rest of the project’s activities, in particular the educational activities and will aid the preparation of a bylaw on the subject of discrimination in the education system.

A working group meeting was held on 18th October 2011 in the office of the Equality Protection Commissioner. Besides the meeting with interested institutions and organizations, team members conducted a series of discussions and meetings with other relevant representatives of different institutions.

Schedule of seminars  

In each town two seminars will be organised, one by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and the other by the Child Rights Centre.         

1. Niš – Aleksandar Hotel
Seminar of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights – 8 – 10 April 2009
Seminar of the Child Rights Centre – 27 – 29 May 2009             
2. Užice –Olimp Hotel on Zlatibor mountain
Seminar of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights – 27-29 May 2009
Seminar of the Child Rights Centre – 17 – 19 June 2009             
3. Novi Pazar –Tadž Hotel
Seminar of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights – 4-6 October 2009
Seminar of the Child Rights Centre – 1 – 2 November 2009             
4. Novi Sad
Seminar of the Child Rights Centre – 28 – 30 March 2010
Seminar of the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights – 7 – 9 April 2010

The project “MORE – Monitoring and Reporting About the Implementation of International Obligations (NGOs capacity building)” aims at establishing a network of non-governmental organisations which would report on respect for human rights in Serbia. The co-ordinators of the reporting process will be the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and the Child Rights Centre.  The Belgrade Centre, as the project co-ordinator, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with other interested non-governmental organisations. During the project comprehensive reports on human rights and child rights will be published, edited by the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and the Child Rights Centre, respectively. These reports will be produced in cooperation with other NGOs which send their contributions to the Belgrade Centre for Human Rights and the Child Rights Centre.

• Memorandum of Understanding
• Contributions of local non-governmental organisations for the human rights and child rights reports

The following organisations have signed the Memorandum so far:      

•Committee for Human Rights, Negotin
•Centre for Human Rights, Niš
•SOS for Women and Children Victims of Violence, Vlasotince
•Local Co-ordinator for Roma Issues, Niš
•Association of Roma Women “Osvit”, Niš
•City Association for Cerebral and Child Palsy, Niš
•Children’s Club “Different Together”, Niš
•Local Inclusion Team, Niš
•Women’s Space, Niš
•Nexus, Vranje
•Sretenje, Požega
•Council for Monitoring, Human Rights and Anti-Corruption – Transparency, Trstenik
•Civic Action Forum – FORCA, Požega
•Women’s Centre, Užice
•Centre for Girls, Užice
•Muscular Dystrophy Association of Zlatibor Region, Užice
•Association of Invalids with Cerebral and Child Palsy, Užice
•Association for Support of Persons with Disabilities, Prijepolje
•Association for the support of developmentally disabled persons, Prijepolje
•Association of singe mothers, Niš
•Cultural Centre DamaD, Novi Pazar
•Sandžak Intellectual Circle, Novi Pazar
•Sandžak Committee for Human Rights, Novi Pazar
•Association “Destinikon”, Sjenica
•Municipal association for the support of developmentally disabled children and persons, Sjrenica
•Association for the protection of rights of displaced persons from Priboj municipality, Priboj
•Merhamet, Novi Pazar
•Women’s forum, Prijepolje

The text of the MoU is available in Serbian language on the webpage in Serbian.