Serbia

22.11.2005 The analysis of the media coverage in Serbia and in Kosovo shows that the media on both sides are filled with cliches and stereotypes, and that they are lacking in information on the daily living of common citizens, concluded the debate “Serbian Media on Kosovo: Mission Impossible”, held in Novi Sad.

18.11.2005 The Association for Assistance to the Mentally Challenged Persons - MNRO from Novi Sad, launched its "Volunteer is my friend" project, with the support from the Small Grants Fund of the Ecumenical humanitarian organisation (EHO)

17.11.2005 One in four women in Belgrade, at some point of her life, was a victim of
violence by men she was in relationship with or married to, a recent research
showed.

16.11.2005 Vera Simic, Project Coordinator with the Alternative Circle NGO, announced that the City of Kragujevac will soon get a Safe House for the victims of domestic violence. The project is implemented in partnership with the Kragujevac Centre for Social Work, the local self-government and the Police.

10.11.2005 The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia (HOPS) criticized the Serbian Government over its failure to mark November 9, the International Day of Fight Against Fascism and Anti-Semitism.

10.11.2005 After two years of hesitation and stalling, Montenegro Parliament adopted the Law on Free Access to Information. The Law needed absolute majority of the total number of seats in the Parliament, and was supported by 38 MPs, 13 voted against and one MP abstained from voting.

09.11.2005 The Helsinki Committee for Human Rights in Serbia estimates that the latest Draft-Law on the Police proposed by the Government is, indeed, better than previous ones, but still contains a number of disputable provisions that don’t guarantee the democratic system of governance and fails to provide for public control and overview of the work of the Police.

08.11.2005 Serbian Minister of Public Administration and Local Self-Government Zoran Loncar announced that Government and Parliament would soon discuss draft Law on citizens associations. Passing the Law is an important step in the process of democratization of Serbian society, its integration process and fulfilling its obligations of membership in Council of Europe, Loncar said at the conference on the Draft-Law on citizens associations.

07.11.2005 Last week, the European Disability Forum (EDF) organized a counselling meeting to review the possiblity to establish a National Council that would gather together, on national level, the organizations of disabled persons in Montenegro. Several proposed initiatives were highly disputed by the Association of Disabled Youth.

04.11.2005 The Conference on Fight Against Human Trafficking, held earlier this week in Belgrade, gathered the National coordinators for fight against human trafficking, governmental and nongovernmental organizations and Red Cross organizations from the countries of SEE. The participants concluded that the human trafficking is among the most shameless and brutal phenomena and the among the worst human rights violations possible.