Regarding the latest version of the Draft Law on Amendments to the Family Law, which was publicly released after reviewing proposed solutions and comments submitted during the public consultation process, the Autonomous Women’s Center has addressed the Working Group, urging it to reconsider certain legal provisions of critical importance for protecting the best interests of the child, ensuring the safety of victims of domestic violence, and aligning the proposed provisions with Serbia’s domestic legal framework and international obligations.

The Autonomous Women’s Center reminded the Working Group of the obligations Serbia has undertaken by ratifying the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence (the Istanbul Convention), as well as the obligations it is expected to assume under EU Directive 2024/1385 of May 14, 2024, on combating violence against women and domestic violence.

The Center highlighted:

• the need for consistent legal recognition of a child’s exposure to domestic violence,
• clarification of the specific circumstances under which preventing contact between a child and a parent would be considered a form of domestic violence,
• a clear distinction between measures designed to protect victims and measures intended for the treatment of perpetrators.

It was emphasised that the proposed amendments are not merely a matter of technical legal improvements, but a fundamental issue concerning the protection of children, the safety of victims, the prevention of secondary victimization, compliance with international standards, and the strengthening of legal certainty

For these reasons, the Working Group was asked to reconsider these proposals and introduce the necessary corrections into the Draft, so that the legal solutions provide effective, clear, and safety-based protection for all victims of domestic violence, especially children.

The full letter to the Working Group can be viewed HERE.