Belgrade, Serbia β Even though six months have passed, Branka Blizanac still remembers the moment she learned that a tabloid in Belgrade had interviewed a serial rapist who had recently been freed from prison. His movements were regularly reported on by Informer journalists, who advised women and girls to buy self-defence tools and avoid walking alone at night. Displeased with the tabloid and determined that the voices of women should be heard, Blizanac and other members of her collective urged women to protest.
Since September, five street demonstrations have taken place in Belgrade. The collective began in as a Facebook group where women shared stories about domestic violence. The demonstrations helped it evolve into a protest movement.
At first glance, Serbia has made steps towards gender equality. The report also points out that women are significantly less represented on the regional level: In , 13 percent of local governments had female mayors or presidents.
Putting aside political power struggles, there are many more challenges that Serbian women face. According to a survey by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, 34 percent of Serbian women aged 18 to 74 have experienced physical or sexual violence by a partner at least once since they were In , 20 cases of femicide, the intentional killing of women or girls due to their sex, were reported in Serbia. It was the highest number in the region. One of them told her that he had stabbed his wife to death because she invited friends over to their house and flirted at parties.
Women in Serbia are still generally seen as being responsible for cooking and cleaning while men usually have control over household spending, according to a report PDF by the US Agency for International Development.
