16 Days in Serbia Campaign 2005 – promotion of the new law on protective measures:
Autonomous Women’s Center, Women at Work, Network of SOS helplines and Reconstruction Women’s Fund organized the campaign “16 days of activism” in Serbia in the period November 25-December 10, 2005. This year, the campaign has been dedicated to promotion of newly adopted protective measures against domestic violence, which became a part of the Family Law. It also attracts public attention to sanctions for breaking protective measures, prescribed in the Criminal Code. The slogan of the campaign is “Red card for perpetrators. Protective measures against domestic violence exist. Article 198 of the Family Law”. The campaign has been organized in 50 cities in Serbia, as most of the local women’s NGOs actively participate in activities.
A video clip is created, as well as a radio jingle, poster, flyer, and leaflet. Women at Work organized (each year) a series of street performances in Belgrade and other cities of Serbia. The leaflet describes protective measures and provides contact information on all women’s NGOs involved in the Network of SOS helplines and shelters (Design of the leaflets/posters is provided by Marija Vidic, Women at Work.
Description of the video clip: A woman is seen in front of the mirror, anxious… Noise is heard from a room behind her, male steps and a sound – he turns the
TV on. Sounds from the TV: noise of a football game and a whistle of a referee at the game. At the moment when the whistle is heard, a screen becomes red, and a text appears: “Red card for perpetrators. Protective measures against domestic violence exist. Article 198 of the Family Law.” Next scene: she is again in front of the mirror, but appears relaxed and no longer in fear… No sound is heard from the room behind her – silence. Above the mirror – the telephone of the Autonomous Women’s Center. A text appears on the screen: “Autonomous Women’s Center and the Network of SOS helplines and women’s NGOs in Serbia.” The video clip has been inspired by the campaign held in Austria, and it was directed by Jelena Markovic.
Each NGO that wanted to broadcast a video clip on local TV networks could cover the telephone of the Autonomous Women’s Center and replaced it with a number of their SOS helpline).
The entire video clip could be downloaded, See: www.ict-tower.com/basta
Media sponsorships: 98 media sponsorships have been obtained (this make up 10% of the total number or media in Serbia). In Belgrade, 6 TV stations, 10 radio stations and 15 newspapers agreed to print/broadcast promotion materials of the campaign (video clip, jingle, brochures) without charge. In other Serbian cities, 25 TV stations, 36 radio stations and 6 newspapers also agreed to provide sponsorship (e.g., 1000 copies of brochures are delivered with the local newspaper “Uzicke vesti”). Campaign organizers expect that the number of media sponsorships is definitely higher; since each local NGO usually provide additional sponsorship at the local level (all women’s NGOs that participate in the campaign obtained a copy of CD with video clip, radio jingle and poster/leaflet).
Street performances: Women at Work and the theater Act Women have prepared an intriguing performance that shows a lack of efficiency of institutions in combating violence and demands consistent implementation of protective measures prescribed by the Family Law. The performances are held in the main squares of the following cities: Belgrade (November 25), Velika Plana (Nov. 27), Leskovac (Nov. 29), Zrenjanin (Nov. 30), Uzice (December 3), Valjevo (Dec. 7), Sombor (Dec. 8), Grocka (Dec. 9).
Roundtables: Within the campaign, roundtables are organized in five Serbian cities, aimed at stimulating coordinated actions of institutions/NGOs in combating VAW.
Specific needs of disabled women: Women’s NGOs “Out of circle: organization for protection and support of disabled women and children” provided a contribution to the campaign 2005 – a radio jingle, aimed at empowering disabled women to fight for their rights. The jingle has been broadcasted on app. 30 radio stations in Serbia.
Campaign of Ombudsperson and Gender Equality Machinery in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina:
Ombudsperson of Vojvodina, Secretariat for Labor, Employment and Gender Equality of Vojvodina and recently established Bureau for Gender Equality in Vojvodina organize the campaign entitled: “Way out from Violence.” During the campaign, a conference (“Empowering local teams within the Network of institutions: Life without Violence”) has been held, devoted to improving the work of joint, coordinated local teams in combating violence. Promotion materials are also created – leaflets are printed in Serbian and in languages of national minorities (Hungarian, Slovak, Roma, Romanian), and posters in Serbian. The leaflets contain information on institutions/organizations that provide support to victims.
Biljana Brankovic, Serbia National VAW Monitor
