Illustration: BIRN

Facing a rise in digital rights violations, more than a dozen rights organisations have agreed to work together to protect individuals and societies in Southeast Europe.

Nineteen organisations from Southeast Europe have joined forces in a newly-established network that aims to advance the protection of digital rights and address the growing challenges posed by the widespread use of advanced technologies in society.

Today we are joining the global challenge #WomenSupportingWomen to stand in solidarity with women from Turkey, and help raise awareness of the issue that affects them greatly.

1. Victims must be informed of all their rights and informed in a timely manner of all services and the functioning of the entire support mechanism and the clear mandates of all actors involved, in a way that is clear and understandable to them.
2. It is necessary to establish the entire support mechanism on the needs of the victim and respect the full participation of the victim, for the support system to be centered on the victim, to move from "work for the victim" to "work with the victim". Not only to be asked but also to be heard.

The media and civil society organizations demand from the Ministry of Finance and the Administration for the Prevention of Money Laundering to immediately present the grounds for suspicion due to which they ordered the extraordinary collection of information about organizations, media, and individuals from the commercial banks.

Photo: UNODC

On the occasion of July 30, World Day against Trafficking in Persons, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) has been publishing stories of people working on the frontline to end human trafficking. Our colleague Jelena Hrnjak, Programme Manager of NGO Atina, took part in the campaign and shared her thoughts and insights.  

My job in Atina is to make sure that our long-term social inclusion programme for trafficking survivors functions smoothly.

This year UNFPA is initiating an exciting campaign #SheCounts, which advocates for the value of women and girls, gender equality and the end of harmful practices. #SheCounts campaign aims to change destructive attitudes and practices which do not value girls and develop the equality in the society. The strength of the campaign is also in supporting the annual report of the State of World Population (SWOP 2020) that has been launched.

Serbia is also a part of this global initiative, particularly UNFPA Serbia as well as NGO Atina.

Nina and Lisa volunteer in the “Schüler Helfen Leben” organization. They are collecting donations for young people in Southeastern Europe. Today, they are also producing a podcast in German language. Lisa, a girl from Germany, says that “young people in Serbia have no prospects”.

Photograph: UNFPA archive

Want to increase birth rates? Try gender equality

Photograph: pixabay.com

Violence against women is on the rise in Serbia, according to data from the Safe House Belgrade, while the Autonomous Women's Center says that almost every third perpetrator repeats the act whose direct or indirect victims in a number of cases are children.

In the period from January to June, 14 women were killed in domestic violence, which is five more than in the same period last year, Vesna Stanojević coordinator of the Safe House said to “Vesti”.