Local network for the prevention and suppression of human trafficking from Vranje is actively involved in the activities of the project “Let’s Build Together”. In the middle of July, a meeting was held in this city with the members of the Network and representatives of the Vranje City Assembly who have, once again, expressed their readiness to become actively engaged in the work of this Network.

The Network of Organizations for Children of Serbia and the Women against Violence Network have sent Recommendations for improving systemic measures in the field of prevention and protection against domestic violence to the Ministry of Labor, Employment, Social and Veteran Affairs, Ministry of Justice, and Ministry of the Interior. The immediate cause for the creation of these recommendations have been cases in which, during the month of July, two women and one child were murdered in Centers for Social Work.

Atina and Bagel Bejgl gained new allies in the fight for an equal society, Alona Fisher-Kamm, Ambassador of the State of Israel to the Republic of Serbia, and Rina Bar-Tal, President of the Israel Women's Network.

They visited Atina and Bagel Bejgl shop on Friday, June 30, 2017. The meeting was held in a pleasant atmosphere, with the exchange and understanding of the position of women, and things that must be done to achieve gender equality, but also to provide equal opportunities for all the women in society.

Sub-regional consultative event on the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration in the Western Balkans was organized during the month of June in Sarajevo, by the International Organization for Migration (IOM).

The event was an opportunity to strengthen dialogue and consultative process in this sub-region, with the aim of facilitating the identification of messages which countries could present at the Thematic sessions within GCM, prior to the meeting for assessing the achievements ending with December 2016.

The Sixth Western Balkans Civil Society Forum was held on July 10 and 11 in Sarajevo, under the auspices of the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC). This gathering represents a continuation of dialogue between various civil society organizations, as well as previously started discussions on various issues societies in the Western Balkans are facing.

At the panel “Assisting and protecting Human Trafficking Survivors in the context of armed conflict, refugees and mixed migration flows: lessons learned on the ground” where the representative of Atina, Marijana Savic, took part, speakers were also Nadia Murad, UNODC Goodwill Ambassador for Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking. Speakers were as well Yury Fedotov, UNODC Chief, and Benita Ferrero-Waldner, Representative of the Board of Trustees, UN Voluntary Trust Fund for Victims of Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

On Monday, May 22 2017, the final, sixth working meeting The rights of unaccompanied and separated refugee children in Serbia was held in Belgrade, organized by Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, to mark the end of the project “Making a Difference for Refugee Children in Europe”.

After years of advocacy in the Republic of Serbia, a step forward has been made, and under the Law on Police, a decision has been reached to appoint Chief Police Advisor, Mitar Djuraskovic, as the Acting Head of the Office for the Coordination of Activities in Combating Trafficking in Human Beings, within the Police Directorate.

Citizens’ Association Atina and its partners, Konrad Adenauer Foundations (KAS) and NGO Macedonian Lawyers Association began implementing an international project “Let’s Build Together”, during which work will be done on integration of migrants into the societies of Serbia and Macedonia.

The project “Let’s Build Together – Community Monitoring and Advocacy” (“Let’s Build Together”) is aimed at improving the position of migrants and refugees in Serbia and Macedonia, especially women and children among them. It is being implemented by Konrad Adenauer Foundation, in cooperation with Citizens’ Association “Atina” and NGO Macedonian Lawyers Association, with the financial support of European Union.