On 29 October 2018, Praxis held a consultative meeting with representatives of institutions in Zemun to discuss the prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages, as part of the project "Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia", financed by UNHCR. 

The goal of the meeting was to bring together local stakeholders to try to jointly identify possible solutions for the prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages. A total of 13 representatives of social welfare centres, schools, prosecutors' offices, health care institutions, as well as Roma activists, participated in the meeting. After the introductory presentation, the attendees were informed about the activities conducted by Praxis in the field of elimination and prevention of child marriages, with particular focus on the conclusions reached. Praxis provided an overview of the problems of child, early and forced marriages in Serbia, the region and the world, with special emphasis on national and international regulations governing the rights of the child, marriage and family relations, as well as the role and responsibility of competent authorities to prevent the neglect of children and violence against children. Through an interactive approach to the topic and examples of good practice, the participants discussed possible solutions and the eradication of child marriages, which, among other things, is closely related to the problem of statelessness in Serbia. Accordingly, the Statelessness Index, which assesses how countries in Europe protect stateless people and what they are doing to prevent and reduce statelessness, was presented.

The participants demonstrated a high level of interest in the topic, regardless of whether they had encountered cases of child marriage or not. The presence of representatives of almost all relevant institutions at the level of local self-government, as well as representatives of the Roma community, initiated a quality interactive discussion, which showed the necessity of cross-sectoral cooperation and preventive work with parents in the form of educational and advisory sessions. However, although the participants were fairly aware of the seriousness of the problem of child marriages, they still perceived it primarily as part of the Roma culture and tradition, and expressed concern that imposing the culture and tradition of the majority would compromise cooperation with the Roma community. Despite being obliged to act in accordance with national and international regulations, representatives of institutions expressed their dilemma of whether dealing with this issue inevitably meant interfering with the tradition of the Roma community, while ignoring the fact that child marriages were primarily a serious violation of the rights of girls. Health sector representatives denied that the body of a 15-year old female was unprepared for reproduction and stated that the girls of that age were considered women, and not girls, which substantially differed from the views of national and international experts. This meeting demonstrated that it was necessary to continue with such or similar meetings aimed at raising awareness about the harmfulness of child marriages and stressing that child marriages should be seen as harmful traditional practices, endangering primarily the psychophysical health of girls and their overall development. 

In November 2018, Praxis will hold another consultative meeting in Zemun.

On 26 October 2018, Praxis held a consultative meeting with representatives of institutions in Požarevac to discuss the prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages, as part of the project "Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia", financed by UNHCR. 

The aim of the meeting was to gather representatives of all relevant institutions in Požarevac to discuss this issue and give proposals of the policies for eradicating child, early and forced marriages. The meeting was attended by representatives of social welfare centres and schools, while representatives of the police, health sector and prosecutors did not respond to the invitation. After the introductory presentation of the speakers, the meeting participants were informed about the activities conducted by Praxis in the field of prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages, thus getting a better insight into the problem and Praxis’ suggestions for its solution. After a brief overview of the state’s responsibility in the prevention and elimination of child marriages, the meeting participants were also informed about national and international legislation in this area. It was followed by a discussion about what each of us could and must do, and what we expected from other links in the chain of cooperation. Real-life case studies were also discussed in order to prevent the problem of child, early and forced marriages, which are closely related to the problem of statelessness in Serbia. Accordingly, the Statelessness Index, which assesses how countries in Europe protect stateless people and what they are doing to prevent and reduce statelessness, was presented.

One of the conclusions of the discussion was insufficient and uncoordinated cooperation of competent institutions, i.e. transfer of responsibility from one institution to another. Representatives of social welfare centres pointed out that it was necessary to establish agreements on cross-sectoral cooperation as well as to consistently apply the existing protocols on action in case of child abuse and/or neglect. They considered that one of the main obstacles was the lack of support from the relevant Ministry and disregard by the court and prosecutor’s offices. School representatives reported poor cooperation with parents as the main obstacle in solving the problem of child marriages. Despite being rather aware of the seriousness of this problem, professionals are still insufficiently sensitive to the problems of the Roma population; their actions continue to be guided by prejudice and they continue to perceive this problem through the lens of cultural tradition. Consequently, it is necessary to continue with this or similar education with constant awareness raising about the fact that the problem of child marriages must not be ignored and that traditional practice should not be an excuse for violating the rights of the child. 

By the end of 2018, Praxis will hold two more consultative meetings in Belgrade.

On Thursday, 23 May 2019, the newly established Thematic Group on Early Childhood Development and Education of Children, coordinated by the Network of Organisations for Children of Serbia, held its first meeting. 

The meeting was dedicated to the formal establishment of the Thematic Group on Early Childhood Development and Education of Children, agreement on future work, dynamics, ways of cooperation, possible joint activities, identification of stakeholders, relevant decision makers and the media.

The meeting participants shared current information in the field of early childhood development, about relevant initiatives such as Call for Action of the Government of the Republic of Serbia, supported by UNICEF, development of early intervention models, creation of Internet Platform for Parents and Practitioners.

As a member of the newly-established Thematic Group, Jasmina Miković, Praxis Deputy Executive Director, shared the experience and findings of Praxis, especially pointing out the importance of investing in early childhood development without discrimination, which should be one of the important priorities because it would allow each child to fully enjoy the guaranteed rights. In addition, she stressed the importance of promoting the registration of every child into birth registry books immediately after birth, providing adequate living conditions, as well as working on the prevention and elimination of harmful practices such as child, early and forced marriages.

Why do some children leave school, what are marital obligations, what is your future occupation and why should we say STOP to child marriages– are some of the questions we asked children of higher grades in four primary schools in Serbia (Primary School “Jovan Cvijic” in Kostolac, Primary School “Bosko Palkovljevic Pinkic, Primary School “Sutjeska” in Belgrade and Primary School “Aleksandar Stojanovic – Leso” in Novi Pazar).

Within the activities performed on the project “Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia”, funded by UNHCR, during 2017 and 2018 we talked to more than 200 boys and girls about the importance of education, causes and consequences of school leaving, future professions, gender roles and marital obligations, causes and consequences of child marriages, and how important it is to prevent them.

Child marriages are a gross violation of the rights of children.  They harm the mental and physical health of girls and expose them to the risk of statelessness, domestic violence and trafficking in human beings. The research shows that child marriages are one of the key reasons why Roma girls drop out of school, leaving them thus in the vicious circle of poverty and leading to their economic dependence. The practice indicates the lack of sensitivity among professionals and the presence of discriminatory attitudes and prejudices against Roma population. 

Children say that child marriages need to be stopped because girls are immature to be mothers, they do not manage to finish schools, have no chance to find a job, and because they do not seize their youth.

In order to eradicate this serious social problem, a holistic and coordinated approach of relevant stakeholders, both on national and local levels, is a necessity. It is extremely important that a state has consistent laws which prescribe 18 years as the minimum age for marriage, because if the law does not recognize children as children, they cannot enjoy full protection. It is equally important to empower the children and respect their opinion, because they are one of the key drivers of change in the prevention and elimination of child marriages.

For more information, see the announcement here.  

At the end of May 2018, Praxis held a consultative meeting with the representatives of institutions in Novi Pazar on the prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages (CEFM), as part of the activities performed within the project “Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia”, funded by UNHCR.

The meeting was aimed at gathering the representatives of all relevant institutions in Novi Pazar to draft policies for the eradication of CEFM. The meeting was attended by the representatives of social welfare centre, police, school, health centre and civil society. At the beginning, the participants were thoroughly introduced into the CEFM problem and through a brief introduction into the activities performed by Praxis in the field of prevention and elimination of CEFM, they were acquainted with the main findings gained so far. Afterwards, Praxis’ representative gave a brief presentation about national and international legislation governing the area of CEFM with a reference to the responsibilities of the government in the prevention and elimination of CEFM. A special contribution was given by National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator at Republic of Serbia Mitar Djuraskovic, who talked about CEFM problem in the context of human trafficking. During the following discussion when case studies were analysed, the participants talked about what each of us can and have to do, and what we expect from other relevant actors, so as to prevent CEFM as a statelessness related issue. In that regard, the participants were introduced into the Statelessness Index, which gives an overview of how different countries in Europe protect stateless persons and what they do in order to prevent and reduce statelessness.

One of the conclusions of the discussion is that competent institutions do not cooperate sufficiently and in a coordinated manner. Moreover, they usually transfer their responsibilities to another institution. Even though the professionals are aware that CEFM represent the violation of children’s rights and gender based violence, they are still insufficiently sensitive to the problems of Roma population. In addition, due to stereotypical acting led by prejudices, the CEFM problem is still considered as part of Roma cultural tradition. According to the present professionals, teaching staff fail to report the CEFM problem because they do not want to hold against their acquaintances, i.e. parents of those children. The final conclusion of the discussion was that more coherent cooperation of competent institutions is a necessity, as well as constant awareness-raising among all relevant stakeholders – parents, children, professionals and general public, and active presence of media as key actors. It is necessary to continue with educations, both through group discussion and individual interviews with professional and potential victims of child, early and forced marriages and their parents.  

By the end of 2018, Praxis will organize three consultative meetings, one in Pozarevac and two in Belgrade.

She has now become a woman, someone’s slave. She will have to become a mother. She will have to be obedient to her husband and she will be busy with housework. She got a husband she has never even taught about. She got a new, different life she has never dreamed about. 

In May 2018, Praxis held four workshops with more than eighty girls attending 7th and 8th grades in Primary School “Jovan Cvijić“ in Kostolac, Primary School “Bosko Palkovljevic Pinki“, Primary School “Sutjeska“ in Belgrade and Primary School “Aleksandar Stojanovic – Leso“ in Novi Pazar on the prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages and early drop-out of Roma girls from school. The workshops were held as part of the activities performed within the project “Legal Assistance to Persons at Risk of Statelessness in Serbia”, funded by UNHCR.

The workshops are the continuation of the activities performed last year when we jointly confirmed the presence of child, early and forced marriages through the discussion about their causes and consequences, as well as about the reasons why children leave school and about marital roles of men and women. In addition to these workshops, this year Praxis will hold eight more with children attending 5th and 6th grade under the slogan We Asked Children: “Why Do Some Children Leave School, What Are Marital Obligations and Why Shall We Say “STOP to Child Marriages.”

What Do We Gain or Lose by Entering into a Child Marriage is the question we dealt with at the workshops held this year. At the very beginning, the girls watched the UNICEF film "A storybook wedding – except for one thing” about the wedding of a 14-year old girl and a 35-year old man. During the film, the girls reacted with sighs, exclamations of shock and surprises. "She is still a child, maybe her parents forced her to do it for money, how sad she is, she still wants to be a child - she is playing with a teddy bear, how scared she is, he is big and she is small". During the discussion that followed, the girls tried to imagine what the girl's day after the wedding looked like. "She will wake up, he will take coffee for his husband; he will prepare his breakfast; she must now work at home to listen to her husband; he is greater than he can, and he can be beaten; no one is happy here, everyone is sad, everyone cries; maybe they had to get married ... ". In the second part of the workshop, the girls noted down what is gained and what is lost in a child’s marriage. According to the girls, a child marriage brings obligations, housework, mother-in-law, stress, a new family, limitation of movement, discomfort, denied voting rights, the obligation to give birth to children, a feeling of belonging to someone. On the other hand, girls say that a child deprives them of childhood, freedom, the right to education, innocence, education, time for themselves, time for playing and socializing with friends, but also of their own “me”, dreams, dreams, imagination and carelessness.

At the end of the workshop, the girls watched the film “I’m a Roma Woman”, which presents testimonies of Roma women who finished schools and achieved their life goals. The film inspired them positively and empowered them once again to continue their schooling.

The workshops significantly contributed to empowerment of girls to continue their schooling and resist child marriages.

On the International Children's Day - 1st June, the fourth meeting of the Children's Rights Council was held. Prof Slavica Djukić Dejanović, Minister without Portfolio responsible for demography and population policy and President of the Children’s Rights Council, opened the meeting emphasising that the Council wanted to send a message on that day on the importance of mutual interaction and understanding among children, as well as to draw attention to the obligations of society towards children and to the current problems faced by children. 

The Council President stated that early support to children meant that children must be healthy and protected, grow up in the family, have basic conditions for education, later for employment and avoid the risk of poverty.

The permanent guest of the Children's Rights Council, UNICEF Representative in the Republic of Serbia Michel Saint-Lot, pointed out the importance of access to quality health care and education and stressed that the funds allocated for children with disabilities were doubled. He recognised the will of the Council and the Government of the Republic of Serbia to improve the situation of children pointing out that the indicator was a reduced number of children without parental care in institutions, but also the fact that pre-school institutions would be free of charge for children from poor families. 

Aleksandra Jović from UNICEF and Saša Stefanović, MODS Director, presented an initiative for improving the measurement, monitoring and reporting of public consumption for children in accordance with the recommendations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child.

The guests of the meeting were also children activists of the Friends of Children Serbia, who presented their suggestions and experiences, pointing out that violence and poverty were the biggest challenges faced by children in Serbia.

The Council member Jasmina Miković from Praxis expressed her concern over the recently published Initiative for Preventing the Abuse of Children in Street Situations, launched by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs. On that occasion, she pointed to the danger of hasty actions, which may result in the separation of the child from the parent, guardian or carer, without any prior assessment of whether it was really the abuse of child labour for the purpose of exploitation. She also recalled that the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child had urged the states parties not to separate children from their families solely because the family worked or lived in the street.

For more information, see the announcement here.

The sitting was co-organized with the Roma Women’s Centre “Bibija” as part of the campaign Month of Roma Women’s Activism.

Opening the sitting, the Chairman of the Committee on Human and Minority Rights and Gender Equality Meho Omerovic said that the Roma population faces a slew of problems some of which are especially difficult because they hit the most vulnerable among the population – children. Early marriages among children are a violation of some of the most basic human rights such as the right to education, protection of reproductive health, selection of partners and above all the right to a childhood, said Omerovic and stressed that this problem should be at the very top of our priorities and the state of Serbia needs to define measures and activities to suppress child marriages.

UNICEF Deputy Representative Severine Leonardi said that 23 girls below the age of 18 get married every minute in the world. In Serbia, this mainly happens in rural and the poorest communities, generally among the Roma population, said Leonardi stressing that over 50% of Roma girls get married before the age of majority. Change can be initiated through cooperation between the Government and NGOs, private sector and the Roma community and it is very important to empower every Roma girl and offer support to every family through the social welfare system, Severine Leonardi concluded.

Jelena Jovanovic, Deputy President of the National Council of the Roma National Minority, said that Roma women are the most vulnerable and sensitive group of women in our society and their education and schooling is the course to follow to open up their prospects for a dignified life, education and health protection.

Coordinator of Roma Women’s Centre “Bibija” Slavica Vasic presented her organization’s activities and campaigns. She stressed that hands-on work with Roma women in the field is of paramount importance.

The representative of the Roma Women Network Radmila Nesic and member of SASA Institute of Ethnography Dr Ivan Djordjevic presented the results of research “Child marriages in the Roma population in Serbia”, conducted March - June 2017 in 5 locations in Serbia, where in depth interviews provided an insight into the real life of the Roma community. The research showed that reducing and finally eradicating child marriages has to be a joint task, enterprise and effort undertaken by all the social factors - social work services, education system, the population, and even individuals.

In the course of the debate the participants agreed that child marriages are a dangerous phenomenon and that education, as the key to the empowerment and protection of Roma children’s rights, is vital for the prevention of child marriages.

Praxis presented its activities focused on prevention and elimination of child, early and forced marriages and pointed at the presence of discriminatory acting on all levels. Praxis also highlighted the necessity to raise awareness of all relevant actors - parents, children, professionals and wider public, with an active role of media as drivers of change.

For more information, see the announcement here.

On 23 March 2018, a conference “Youth Engagement in the Danube Region” was organized in Stuttgart, gathering partners and associates of the foundation Agapedia, as a part of the implementation of the EU Strategy for the Danube Region. The conference gathered the Minister for Education of the Baden-Württemberg region, Germany, as well as the representatives of organizations and institutions from the countries in the Danube Region. Network of Organizations for Children of Serbia - MODS was represented by Sasa Stefanovic, Director of MODS, Jasmina Mikovic from Praxis who is the President of the Steering Committee of MODS and Aleksandra Grubin, Project Manager from SOS Children’s Villages in Serbia.

A multitude of initiatives and networks have for many years successfully brought together young people across all 14 countries of the Danube region; enabling cross-cultural exchange on issues as diverse as environmental protection, language learning, the future of the European Union or the challenges posed by digitalization. Yet, many initiatives are project-based and have only limited awareness of other undertakings. The Danube Strategy in itself provides only limited support in this particular field. In the past, there have been several attempts to create more stable framework conditions and networks. The emergence of the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO) as part of the so-called Berlin Process to improve cooperation among Western Balkan countries and the European Union marks an important milestone in this regard.

For more information, see the announcement here. 

Eurochild’s National Partner Networks (NPN) Group, which gathers 21 child rights networks from Europe, met in Brussels from 19 till 20 March 2018. The Network of Organisations for Children of Serbia (MODS) was represented by Jasmina Miković from Praxis, who chaired the first day of NPN meeting.

On that occasion, civil society organizations from 25 European countries that work with and for children met key EU level stakeholders in Brussels to discuss how the EU can ensure better outcomes for children and their families through the post-2020 EU budget. Under the platform of the Opening Doors for Europe’s Children campaign, they brought evidence from the ground on how EU funds have been used in the current Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF). The publication urges the EU to maintain, strengthen and expand its pivotal role towards children’s deinstitutionalisation and the transformation of child protection systems in Europe. 

The EU is at a critical juncture, as it prepares to decide on its priorities for investment post-2020. Despite its efforts in funding reforms in child protection in its current Multi-annual financial framework, we are far from providing children the best care solutions. The negotiations on EU budget and funding programmes beyond 2020 is a unique chance for the EU to end the era of institutional care – unnecessary, outdated and harmful type of care that segregates children from society. The next Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF) offers a real opportunity to build on lessons learnt and deliver on existing EU promises.

The undoubted EU added value of investing in the social inclusion of the most vulnerable people, catalysing child welfare and child protection reforms and triggering the transition from institutional towards more individualised community-based care (also known as deinstitutionalisation) has been widely acknowledged by Europe’s civil society (see the Opening Doors for Europe’s Children recent recommendations to the EU, Eurochild’s recommendations on investing in children through the post-2020 MFF and the European Expert Group’s position paper on the funding of the European Union post-2020).

To continue this progress, coherent with the EU’s human rights obligations, more has to be done. The EU must reinforce its support towards realisation of common values and objectives, such as respect for human rights, poverty reduction or social inclusion, when negotiating the post-2020 budget and funding programmes over the next 18 months.

For more information, see the announcement here.