On the World and European Day against the Death Penalty, the Protector of Citizens reminded that the Constitution of the Republic of Serbia declares human life inviolable, that there is no death penalty in the Republic of Serbia and that cloning of human beings is prohibited. The death penalty was abolished in our country two decades ago, and the last time it was carried out three decades ago.
The Protector of Citizens expressed his belief that the death penalty will never be reintroduced in Serbia. The position against the death penalty stems from the universal and basic human right to life. It is also woven into the human dignity of every human being, including the perpetrators of the most heinous crimes. It is the duty of the state to protect and respect the innate rights, universal and basic, such as the right to life, which is also a condition for the protection of human dignity.
By marking 10 October, countries, organizations and people around the world confirm their determination to abolish the death penalty in countries where it still exists and their determination not to allow its reintroduction in countries that have already abolished it.
The Protector of Citizens, on his own initiative, and based on media information that a father killed his minor child in Vršac and then committed suicide, launched a control investigation into the legality and regularity of work of the Provincial Secretariat for Social Policy, Demography and Gender Equality and the Ministry of Interior of the Republic of Serbia.
The Protector of Citizens requested the Provincial Secretariat to perform supervision over the professional work of the Centre for Social Work Vršac in this case within 15 days and to submit to him a report on the supervision performed and documentation on the handling of this case.
Due to media allegations that the mother of the murdered child repeatedly reported the child's father for domestic violence, the Protector of Citizens requested the MoI of Serbia to inform him within the same period about the actions of the competent police department in the specific case, especially about the activities of the police officers in this case.
The Protector of Citizens also requested from the MoI a statement on whether the police officers acted in accordance with the obligations prescribed by the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence and the General and Special Protocol for the Protection of Women from Violence in Family and in Intimate Partner Relations.
In recent years, the Protector of Citizens has recorded a constant increase in the number of complaints from citizens about violations of economic and social rights, which is why this institution will work on greater promotion and improvement of the protection of human rights in that area, especially the rights of older women in the countryside, said the Deputy Protector of Citizens for Gender Equality Jelena Stojanovic.
"We will strengthen activities to promote and improve the protection of economic and social rights, above all the rights of elderly women in the countryside, through monitoring the implementation of the Revised European Social Charter", said Stojanović at the beginning of the training for employees of the Institution of the Protector of Citizens, organized as part of the project "Strengthening capacities of the Protector of Citizens in the protection and promotion of economic and social rights", which is supported by the Council of Europe.
Stojanović stated that reporting under the Revised European Social Charter, in relation to other mechanisms for the protection of human rights, implies more frequent engagement with the delivery of specific and detailed information and that such an approach enables more effective monitoring of the implementation of the Charter and the realization of economic and social rights in the member states of the Council of Europe.
The Deputy Protector of Citizens reiterated that the elderly, and especially elderly women in the countryside, are a part of the population that is insufficiently visible and insufficiently heard about their disadvantageous position, primarily in terms of exercising their rights from social and health care as well as pension and disability insurance.
Stojanović said that the Protector of Citizens, through the current project, is trying to develop a functional mechanism for monitoring certain provisions of the Revised European Social Charter and strengthen the capacities for reporting to the European Committee for Social Rights, which implies deepening cooperation with ministries, local self-government units, the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia and with civil society organizations.
The Deputy Head of the Mission of the Council of Europe in the Republic of Serbia, Nađa Ćuk, stated at the training that the Institution of the Protector of Citizens, as an independent institution for the protection of human rights in "A status", has an important role in the promotion and protection of human rights in the Republic of Serbia and a strong mandate in the area of improving the economic and social rights.
Ćuk stated that the Council of Europe supports the Institution of the Protector of Citizens in the area of strengthening the capacity to improve and protect economic and social rights and expressed satisfaction that the work of the Council of Europe within the framework of activities on the protection of human rights is continuously expanding in Serbia.
Representatives of the national institutions for the protection of human rights in Ireland and Slovakia, as well as a representative of the Council of Europe from the Department for Social Rights, presented their work and experiences to the employees of the Institution of the Protector of Citizens.
Old age is the inevitable the destiny of all of us, that's why today it is our duty to care and understand the elderly to make their lives more beautiful and easier, said the Protector of Citizens Zoran Pašalić today, on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons.
Pašalić added that if we want to ensure a safe and dignified life for our increasingly numerous population of older persons, we must first destroy the harmful stereotypes that the elderly are a burden on society, and secondly, we must not allow them to feel bad or discriminated against because of their age. We must be aware that a large number of elderly people live alone, without regular personal income, and discrimination is manifested in almost all areas. It is difficult for them to access social and health care and various services and support services, their property rights are threatened, as well as pension and disability insurance, and people with disabilities are especially affected, the Protector of Citizens pointed out.
"They are vulnerable, often exposed to violence and neglect, which is why intergenerational support and solidarity is very important to them. It is also important that we perceive them as a social resource, and not as passive beneficiaries of rights and freedoms who are a social burden", emphasized Zoran Pašalić and explained that the elderly population should not be thought of as a problem, but as a potential. Their work and life experience is invaluable, so it is necessary to develop the possibility for their wider social engagement, if they want it.