The United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) prepared its Concluding observations in which it points out numerous problems and areas of concern in the implementation of the Convention. The coalition of organizations – Autonomous Women’s Center, ASTRA, Women in Black – which prepared an alternative report and was present at the 72^nd session of the Committee, expresses its satisfaction with the content of the Concluding observations. We would like to highlight recommendations made to Serbia to take measures to combat the anti-gender discourse and its adverse impact on the State party’s achievements in the area of women’s rights; strengthen the knowledge of the judiciary, prosecutors and lawyers on the Convention and their capacity to invoke and directly apply it in court proceedings; monitor the use of misogynistic language referring to women in public statements and media reporting, and ensure that women’s rights activists are able to exercise their rights to freedom of expression, assembly and association without intimidation or reprisals; that cases of alleged intimidation or reprisals against civil society activists are duly investigated, that civil servants that obstruct the prosecution of attackers are held accountable.

To mark International Women’s Day – March 8^th, the representative of the Autonomous Women’s Center participated in the conference on sexual violence during conflicts in Kosovo, organized in Pristina by the Jahjaga Foundation and the Embassy of Germany.

As part of the “Say NO to violence against women”, the AVON Company has awarded a donation to the Autonomous Women’s Center for the continuation of the implementation and improvement of the project “I can say no – Love is not violence”, with the aim of support to education of youth on different types of violence.