Nuhodžić at the conference on violence against women: Joint forces in order to reach a society with zero tolerance of violence

The fight against violence against women was given a new dimension by the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and obliges us to improve the prevention, legislative framework, as well as the prosecution of perpetrators and the protection and support of victims - said the Minister of the Interior Mevludin Nuhodžić at today's conference "Violence against Women – Implementation of the Istanbul Convention and Resistance to Retrograde Processes", organized by the Women's Political Network in cooperation with the Government and UNDP.

The goals of the Istanbul Convention, as the Minister said, require the full coordination of all relevant institutions, but also the civil sector and the media. In this regard, the Minister reminded that the MoI formed last year an Operational Team composed of representatives of line ministries, judicial authorities and all non-governmental organizations dealing with this issue and which, having considered about 20 complex cases, has already achieved good results, through proposals of measures, response models and communication with victims.

Minister Nuhodžić explained that police officers are acting in accordance with procedures and guidelines from the new Protocol on Prevention and Protection against Violence against Women and Domestic Violence, and that a special emphasis is placed on risk assessment. In 2018, according to the Minister, the police monitored the execution of more than 300 protective measures, which is about 30 percent more than in the previous year, and the measures concerned removal from the apartment, restraining order and prohibition of harassment and arrest. The Minister emphasized that these data indicate that women have been empowered to report violence and to increase their confidence in the work of the Police.

Speaking about further activities, the Minister said that at the end of 2018, with the support of the UNDP Office, an electronic database was established for the automatic exchange of information between the Police and the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare. He also pointed out the importance of imperative and non-selective application of the provisions of the Law on Weapons related to the issue of approvals for the acquisition of arms and seizure of weapons, which is also a preventive measure aimed at protecting against domestic violence. The Minister also announced an increase in the number of police inspectors in charge of this field in the Criminal Police Sector, as well as the possibility of introducing study subjects on violence at the Police Academy, and organizing lectures on this subject for school-age children.

Expressing support to the victims of violence and pointing out that they have a backbone in the state and institutions in the fight, the Minister concluded that the responsibility for creating an environment of zero tolerance for violence lies in the entire social community.