On Friday, December 6, 2024, the Autonomous Women’s Center hosted a press conference at the Media Center to mark the International Day Against Femicide.

At the conference, a report titled Respecting the Minimum Rights of Victims of Gender-Based Violence During Reporting and Prosecution was presented, along with an annual analysis of femicide cases in Serbia.

Speaking on behalf of USAID’s “Justice for All” project, Dragana Lukić emphasized the importance of cooperation between institutions and citizens in respecting victims’ rights and combating violence against women and domestic violence.

“The key to resolving these issues is not the normative framework—we have a very adequate, even strong, legal framework in Serbia. The essence lies in implementation. Education is key to preventing femicide,” emphasized public prosecutor Gorjana Mirčić Čaluković, speaking about the prevention of domestic violence and femicide.

In 2024, 17 women were murdered in Serbia, a figure that, for the first time, places Serbia at the European average for the annual number of women killed. However, it is concerning that many of these women had previously reported the violence and that Vojvodina continues to see a consistent, unchanging number of femicide cases annually, noted Vanja Macanović from the Autonomous Women’s Center. Macanović commented on the femicide data for this year compared to the previous year, as available on the Femicide Memorial platform.

“We used the public consultation period for amendments to the Criminal Code to formally submit what we have been advocating—that we need new protective measures such as supervision orders, removal of perpetrators from the household, and supervision even after prison sentences are served. We also need better measures to protect victims during criminal proceedings,” Macanović stated.

She also highlighted the importance of addressing children’s safety in the context of domestic violence.

Following the press conference, representatives of the Autonomous Women’s Center and Women in Black and allies from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia held a street action. They called for accountability for women killed in domestic and partner violence—holding both perpetrators and the system responsible for enabling these murders through inaction or inadequate measures.

The recording of the press conference marking the International Day for the Elimination of Femicide (in Serbian) is available HERE.

The report Respecting the Minimum Rights of Victims of Gender-Based Violence During Reporting and Prosecution (in Serbian) is available HERE.

The Femicide Memorial is available HERE.