Campaign for Rights of Pregnant Women

25 January 2007

Bebac non-governmental organization launched a campaign to improve the status of pregnant women in Serbia, inviting the general public and the competent state institutions to respect the moral and civilized rules for treatment of pregnant women.

Under the auspices of the campaign, the organization created the Code of Conduct Towards Pregnant Women, which lists ten points with practical problems faced daily by pregnant women, as well as the important elements of realization of their basic human rights. The Code was signed and accepted by Belgrade City Assembly, Belgrade�s Public Transportation Company and Vojvodina Executive Council.

Marija Bozic from �Bebac� said that pregnant women in Serbia are often discriminated, starting from having a free seat available in public transportation or having to wait in long lines in a number of public institutions, all the way to discrimination in the work-place. According to the information available to Bebac, over 65 percent of women hide their pregnancy from their bosses, and often women are asked discriminatory questions, such as �are you pregnant�, during job interviews.

The signatories of the Code of Conduct agree that pregnant women will never be discriminated, humiliated, degraded or pressured in the work-place or when seeking jobs; that pregnant women will be protected from stress and all forms of physical or psychological violence; to guarantee the right of pregnant women to be received by the proper employee in post offices, banks, hospitals and other institutions without having to wait in long lines.

Bozic says that the campaign was started to secure privileged status for pregnant women in society. In her words, the text of the Code should be soon posted in all public and state institutions, banks, post offices, travel agents, shops and supermarkets, pharmacies and other institutions in which waiting lines may be expected.

The complete text of the Code is awailable on www.bebac.com. Bebac invites all enterprises, businesses and institutions to sign the Code and take active participation in the campaign for promotion of pregnancy and pregnant women rights.