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Deep (inter)connection between judicial transparency and fight against gender-based violence
17 October 2023
As public concern over gender-based violence (GBV) continues to grow with each new reported case, judicial transparency in its efforts to effectively prosecute and punish perpetrators seems to be more important than ever. At a regional conference held in Sarajevo and organised by the centres for judicial and prosecutorial training of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, members of the Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network (GCJ Network), …
How Can the Judiciary Effectively Tackle the Issue of Femicide?
12 September 2023
Over the past four years (2018-2022), 17 femicide cases were prosecuted in North Macedonia for the killing of 19 women. Notably, most of the victims were either current or former intimate partners of the perpetrators, or had familial ties, and all cases examined were committed in an apartment, house, or yard where the victim lived, it was stated in the report “Femicide in the Republic of North Macedonia: The State of Affairs, the Legal Framework and the Court Practice”, presented at today’s conference in Skopje
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Public statement regarding the murders in Gradačac and cases of gender-based violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
16 August 2023
Appalled by the murders in Gradačac in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the AIRE Centre expresses its condolences to the families and friends of the victims of this crime. The news of the murders shook the entire Western Balkan region, and the frequency of these crimes reminds us that this is a problem for all of us. That is why we repeatedly request the authorities to respond in order to punish such crimes and prevent them from occurring in the future.
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Judicial Role in Combating Gender-Based Violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina
13 July 2023
Gender-based violence is widely prevalent in both public and private domains, deeply entrenched within the society and perpetuated by unequal power dynamics. We spoke with three judges from Bosnia and Herzegovina on their views on how the judiciary can tackle these problems.
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The Largest Regional Judicial Forum on Gender Equality Opened in Belgrade
2 June 2023
Over 100 key judicial actors from the region and beyond, including the president and judges of the European Court of Human Rights, presidents and judges of regional judicial and other state institutions, academics and non-governmental organisations, gathered today in Belgrade for the second regional judicial forum “Gender Equality and the Western Balkans” organised by the AIRE Centre, with the support of the Government of the United Kingdom, and in cooperation with the Commissioner for the Protection of Equality in Serbia and the non-governmental organisation FemPlatz.
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Unveiling Gender Equality Struggles in North Macedonia — Insights from Judges Gajdov and Belevska Projkovska
31 May 2023
With the Second Gender Equality and Western Balkans Judicial Forum just five days away, we had the honour of interviewing Judge Gabriela Gajdova from the Basic Court Veles and Judge Biljana Belevska Projkovska from Basic Court Ohrid, both of whom are members of the Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network (GCJ Network), who discussed the significant challenges faced by the country in addressing gender-based violence and explore the role of the justice system in dismantling these obstacles.
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Advancing Justice and Empowering Women — Interview with Kosovo’s Acting President of the Supreme Court
26 May 2023
As the Second Gender Equality and Western Balkans Judicial Forum approaches, we are looking into Kosovo actions in combating gender-based violence and discrimination. In an interview with Mejreme Memaj, Acting President of the Supreme Court of Kosovo and member of the Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network (GCJ Network), she highlighted the challenges faced by the country and the importance of justice institutions in addressing gender-based violence.
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Advancing Gender Equality in Albania — Experts on Combating Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination
26 May 2023
While the legal framework in Albania is comprehensive and contemporary, the challenge in addressing gender-based violence and discrimination lies in understanding and implementing these laws effectively. In fact, despite the existence of current laws in Albania proclaiming gender equality, the complete establishment of economic, social, and legal parity between women and men remains incomplete due to the prevailing influence of traditional norms and patriarchy.
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Insights from Experts — Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Discrimination in Serbia
26 May 2023
Serbia, like many countries in the Western Balkans, struggles with significant challenges in combating gender-based violence and discrimination. Numerous studies highlight the widespread nature of violence against women, prompting Serbia to adopt new laws and amend existing ones to align with international standards.
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Interview with Judge Popović: “Nearly Every Other Woman in Montenegro Has Experienced Violence from Their Partners”
24 May 2023
As we are counting down the days until highly anticipated Second Gender Equality and the Western Balkans Judicial Forum, taking place on 2nd and 3rd of June in Belgrade, we had the privilege of interviewing Mirjana Popović, a judge at the Appellate Court of Montenegro and the president of the Association of Women Judges of Montenegro.
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The AIRE Center and the Centre for education of judges and prosecutors in Montenegro, with support from the UK Government, held a two-day training on “Gender Equality with Special Reference to the UN CEDAW Convention” in Budva, which gathered over 20 judges and prosecutors from all over the country.
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AIRE Centre, FemPlatz, and five partner civil society organisation from the Western Balkans, Human Rights in Democracy Centre from Albania, Centre of Women’s Rights from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Women’s Right Centre from Montenegro, National Network to end Violence against Women and Domestic Violence from North Macedonia and Victimology Society of Serbia, will monitor court proceedings in the cases of femicide, attempted femicide and other forms of gender-based violence in 2023.
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On 20th and 21st of March 2023, AIRE Centre and Centre for education of judges and prosecutors in Montenegro, with support from the UK Government, held a training “Protection from Domestic Violence and Gender-Based Violence with an Emphasis on the Istanbul Convention” in Podgorica, that gathered 20 judges and prosecutors from all over Montenegro.
The General Assembly of the United Nations adopted Resolution 75/274 on April 28, 2021, in which it declared 10th of March as the International Day of Women Judges in order to promote the full and equal participation of women at all levels of the judiciary.
Gender-based violence needs multifaceted response
8 March 2023
International Women’s Day is commemorated globally by acknowledging social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women, but also by bringing attention to issues women still face today, of which there are many. Educational and economic inequality, sexism, misogyny, lack of access to equal opportunity, gender pay gap, period poverty and stigma, reproductive rights, gender-based violence and abuse, discrimination, isolation, lack of women in positions of power…
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The AIRE Centre, in cooperation with FemPlatz, invites civil society organisations focusing on women’s rights and prevention of gender-based violence from the Western Balkan (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia) to apply for grants for Monitoring of Femicide and Gender-Based Violence Court Cases.
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The AIRE Centre marked International Human Rights Day by familiarising the public at large with the recently established Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network (GCJ Network), rallying eminent judges across the region committed to strengthening gender equality in the Western Balkan countries. This is the first network bringing together judicial professionals in the region to promote gender equality…
Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network established in Sarajevo
12 July 2022, Sarajevo, BiH
By signing the Memorandum of Cooperation with the AIRE Centre in July 2022, all judicial training centres in the region joined the initiative for the establishment of the Gender Champions in the Judiciary Network. The initiative was launched in early April at the Judicial Forum on Gender Equality in Budva, the participants of which stressed the need for a coordinated approach to the training of judicial professionals on this issue in the entire Western Balkan region…
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First Regional Gender Equality Forum for the Western Balkans gathered experts in Budva
1-2 April 2022, Budva, Montenegro
On 1 and 2 April 2022, the AIRE Centre hosted the first Regional Gender Equality Forum for the Western Balkans. The Forum took place in Budva (Montenegro) and brought together the President and Vice-President of the European Court of Human Rights, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, judges and former judges of the European Court of Human Rights and representatives from across the region including presidents…
Sarajevo hosts conference on prevention of femicide
25 March 2022, Sarajevo, BiH
Sarajevo hosted conference “Combatting Femicide in Bosnia and Herzegovina – International Standards and Case-Law of BiH Courts”, organized by the AIRE Center in cooperation with the Supreme Court of the FBiH, the Supreme Court of the Republika Srpska and the Court of Appeals of the Brcko District of BiH. Supported by the UK Government, organizers brought together representatives of courts and prosecutors’ offices, institutions and non-governmental organizations from Bosnia and Herzegovina…