Violence against Women second phase - Violence against Women second phase 2022 Våld mot kvinnors andra fas The overall goal of the project is to support further development of the social and institutional environment which will contribute to zero tolerance and the eradication of violence against women in Serbia.

The project aims to reach out to women and girls, but also men and boys in, possible or already registered victims of violence but also perpetrators of violence. Individuals, government, NGOs and people in local communities will be mobilized to act in concerted efforts to eliminate violence against women, girls and children.

The contribution aims to provide an integrated response to violence against women and girls (VaWG) in Serbia. VaWG is a complex social problem that occurs as a result of inequality which are deeply rooted in patriarchal norms and unbalanced power relations. Exposure to various forms of harm and life in fear prevent women from fully realizing their own opportunities, reduce their well-being, but also reduce their contribution to development of the society they live in. Prevention and elimination of all forms of violence against women and girls is from a humanistic and development perspective, the responsibility for the whole society.

The project will work to change the normative framework, institutional methods and behaviors involving violence against women and girls at state, community and individual levels. Det övergripande målet med projektet är en vidareutveckling av en social och institutionell miljö som kommer att bidra till nolltolerans och utrotning av våld mot kvinnor i Serbien. Det föreslagna programmet är en tvåårig insats (oktober 2020 – september 2022) med en totalt budget av 14 000 000 SEK. Sida kommer att vara den enda givaren till projektet. Deltagande organisationer bidrar inte med egna medel. Cirka 9 MSEK (934 322 USD) kommer att skickas från UNDP till de tre FN-organisationerna: UNFPA (185 323 USD), UNICEF (321 000 USD) och UNWOMEN (428 000 USD). Cirka 5 MSEK (565 386 USD) kommer att hanteras av UNDP inom en komponent som är under deras ansvar.

Projektet syftar till att nå ut till kvinnor och flickor, men även män och pojkar i Serbien, som är möjliga eller redan registrerade våldsoffer men också dömda våldsverkare. Individer, regering, icke-statliga organisationer och människor i lokala samhällen kommer att mobiliseras för att agera i gemensamma ansträngningar och avskaffa våld mot kvinnor, flickor och barn.

Insatsen syftar till att ge ett integrerat svar på våld mot kvinnor och flickor (VaWG) i Serbien. VaWG är ett komplext socialt problem som uppträder som en följd av bristande jämställdhet. Denna bristande jämställdhet är djupt rotad i patriarkala normer och obalanserade maktförhållanden. Exponering för olika former av skada och ett liv i rädsla hindrar kvinnor att till fullo förverkliga sina egna möjligheter, minska deras välbefinnande samt också att minska deras bidrag till utvecklingen av samhället. Förebyggande och eliminering av alla former av våld mot kvinnor och flickor är både från ett humanistiskt och utvecklingsperspektiv ett ansvar för hela samhället.

Projektet kommer att verka för att ändra normativa ramar, institutionella metoder och beteenden som rör våld mot kvinnor och flickor på statlig, samhällelig och individuell nivå. The project will contribute to the following outcome: State institutions and other relevant actors enhance gender equality and enable women and girls, especially those from vulnerable groups, to live lives free from discrimination and violence.
The project builds upon the existing interventions and results undertaken by the Government of Serbia and the UN agencies, particularly the achievements of the joint project “Integrated Response to Violence against Women and Girls in Serbia II” also funded by Sida. Due to the complexity of gender-based violence as the outcome of interaction among many factors at four levels: individual, relationship, community and society, the joint project of UN agencies and relevant national institutions, civil society organizations and media working at all levels proved to be a good practice contributing to changes and improvement of practices related to VaW. 
The project will be implemented using a three-tier approach reflected in the three key results, ensuring interconnection between the different levels to address the factors that put women and men at risk or protect them from experiencing or perpetrating violence: 
Key result 1: Legal and institutional measures effectively address the complexity of domestic violence, intimate partner violence and gender-based violence. 
Key Result 2: General and specialist service providers capacitated to effectively reduce the risks of repetition and escalation of domestic violence and deliver integrated service for protection of women and children survivors of violence.
Key result 3: Perception of gender-based violence and dominant gender norms changed and increased understanding of general public on violence against women and girls.
The project will consist of three components, following above-mentioned key project results structure.
The First Component will focus on ensuring that all human rights and fundamental freedoms for women and girls, guaranteed by the ratified international conventions and national legislation are respected, protected and fulfilled. Specifically, UNDP will further support the Coordination Body for Gender Equality to inform relevant stakeholders and duty bearers on the GREVIO evaluation report and measures to be implemented to improve implementation of the Istanbul Convention. This will include gaps in the content of the laws and weaknesses in its implementation, barriers to protection, access to justice and services for women survivors of violence; investments and budget allocations as well as monitoring mechanisms for enforcement of the laws. National Council for Suppression of Domestic Violence, coordinated by the Ministry of Justice, will be supported by UNDP to promote effective implementation of national legislation, reinforce accountability of the institutions responsible through clear delineation of their roles and time-bound targets that can be monitored. 
The Second Component will focus on ensuring that national level agreements on comprehensive and coordinated protection of victims are transferred to the local level, implemented by capacitated professionals who exercise due diligence to prevent, investigate and punish acts of violence and provide adequate support to all victims. This will be achieved through encouragement of coordinated community response (involving health, police, judicial and legal services, shelters and protection services, schools and other education institutions, and CSOs) as an important strategy to ensure survivors of violence, their children and other dependents receive comprehensive and timely support. 
The Third Component will address the socio-cultural norms and harmful practices regarding the roles and status of men and women within the home and community, with the aim to ensure far-reaching changes in attitudes and, ultimately, behaviors that will reduce gender-based violence. UNDP will support the group Journalists against Violence to implement media-based interventions to promote greater gender equality and awareness of gender-based violence against women. The interventions will be oriented towards increasing the number of media reports and content on VaW in accordance with the standards for ethical media reporting; encouragement of cross-sectoral collaboration, communication and learning, including professionals dealing with violence against women and journalists, in order to ensure accurate and ethical informing of public on VaW. The project will continue to support monitoring and evaluation of media reporting on GBV, including acknowledgment of quality reporting practices on VaW. Within this Component, the project will also address the exposure to violence of the female journalists, due to ethical and brave reporting on VaWG.