WUNRN
STRENGTHENING THE PROTECTION OF
WOMEN FROM TORTURE.
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The
UN Committee Against Torture (CAT) is the body of independent experts that monitors
implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or
Degrading Treatment or Punishment by its State parties.
All States parties are obliged to submit regular reports to the Committee on how the rights are being implemented. States must report initially one year after acceding to the Convention and then every four years. The Committee examines each report and addresses its concerns and recommendations to the State party in the form of “concluding observations”.
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Gender Related Excerpts - Serbia - From Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on Torture:
*Domestic Violence & Secual Abuse of Women & Girls
19.The Committee notes that domestic violence was defined as a misdemeanour in the adoption of the Misdemeanours Act (2007), but expresses concern over the prolonged proceedings prompting many victims to abandon them. The Committee is concerned about the reports that sexual abuse of girls has been on the rise in the past few years and at the low penalties that are pronounced against the perpetrators of domestic violence, the slowness of the proceedings, the lack of protection measures and the lack of adequate prevention measures in place.
Corporal Punishment
20.The Committee notes that corporal punishment of children is not explicitly prohibited in all settings and that it is a common and accepted means of childrearing.
The State party, taking into account the recommendation in the United Nations Secretary General's Study on Violence Against Children, should adopt and implement legislation prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings, including the family, supported by the necessary awareness-raising and public education measures.
Trafficking in Persons
21.The Committee takes note of the inclusion of trafficking in the new Criminal Code (Article 389) which defines human trafficking and includes it as a criminal offence. However, the Committee is concerned about the reports of cross-border trafficking in women for sexual and other exploitative purposes and it regrets the low number of prosecutions in this respect. The Committee also regrets that the State party does not have an effective system in place to monitor and assess the extent and impact to address this phenomenon effectively. The Committee is concerned at the decrease in the minimum penalties from five to three years of imprisonment and that redress and reintegration services are insufficient for victims of trafficking.
Data Collection
23.The Committee requests the State party to provide in its next periodic report detailed statistical data, disaggregated by crime, ethnicity, age and sex on complaints relating to torture and ill-treatment allegedly committed by law enforcement officials.
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Direct Link to Serbia Concluding
Observations of the UN Committee Against Torture:
UN Committee
Against Torture
41st Session (3 -
21 November 2008)
IMPORTANT
- FIRST CLICK WEBSITE LINK to
access
subsite REPORTS. Scroll down to SERBIA.
|
SERBIA Wednesday, 5 November a.m. and Thursday 6 November 2008 p.m. CAT/C/SR.840 CAT/C/SR.843 |
Initial report CAT/C/SRB/2 CAT/C/SRB/2/Corr.1 |
CAT/C/SRB/Q/1 CAT/C/SRB/Q/1/Add.1 |
List Statement |
CAT/C/SRB/CO/1 E | F | S |
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