Serbian women have been taught to be passive and told not to vote. They have no idea about their own human and political rights, and that has been reflected in the decline of female representatives at all political levels. The response has already been enthusiastic. Since Yugoslavia's descent into civil war, it has been women who have been behind the vast majority of pacifist and civic initiatives, often crossing ethnic lines in the process. They have covered each other with false names and nationalities, risked lives, written letters, given promises and kept them.
Time is of the essence.
There are fears of another crackdown on dissidents before crucial local elections are held in April. Now we know we want democracy, we also know the only way of getting it is by galvanising women into action. With the resumption of air links to Belgrade, it is hoped help will also come from feminists abroad who have yet to experience Belgrade's bad kind of queues.