The Child Rights Centre (CPD) published the Report on the Status of Child Rights in the Republic of Serbia for the period February 2017 to June 2023.

The report is the result of several years of joint work by members of the Coalition for Monitoring Child Rights in Serbia (Coalition) comprised of: Child Rights Centre, Užice Child Rights Centre, Belgrade Centre for Human Rights, ASTRA — Action against Human Trafficking and the Center for Social Policy. The report was produced under the project Monitoring the implementation of the recommendations of the UN Committee for the Rights of the Child implemented by the Child Rights Centre with financial support by UNICEF in Serbia.

The report aims to provide an overview of the status of the implementation of the recommendations of the Committee for the Rights of the child of the United Nations (UN) in the Republic of Serbia during the past six years. Accordingly, the data presented is from official statistical and administrative sources, national and local surveys, examples in practice, and general information.

After six years of monitoring the implementation of recommendations, the majority of the recommendations of the Committee for the Rights of the Child remains unfulfilled. These recommendations include the adoption of a special Law on the Rights of the Child and child ombudsman that would establish the main principles and catalogue of child rights, and establish an independent institution to protect the rights of the child. Furthermore, it is necessary to implement recommendations related to the adoption of a new National Action Plan for Children that would enable the coordination and implementation of activities at the national level, responsible for child welfare. The harmonization of the national framework with the Convention on the Rights of the child, collection of data at all levels, inclusion, education on child rights, healthcare and social welfare of all children, protection of children from violence, are some of the key recommendations that remain to be implemented.

During the report drafting process, CPD established an online platform available at www.kpdpreporuke.cpd.org.rs to facilitate the monitoring of the implementation of recommendations for interested civil society organizations. Furthermore, the www.misljenjadece.cpd.org.rs online platform was also developed, intended for children, enabling them to take active part in the process of monitoring the implementation of recommendations, providing opinions in a language adapted to them.

This report is an important step towards improving the implementation of child rights in Serbia. CPD will use the collected data and recommendations from the report as a basis for drafting an alternative Fourth and Fifth Periodic Report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, expected in 2024.

CPD would like to express gratitude to the Office for Human and Minority Rights (former office with the Government of the Republic of Serbia), all civil society organizations, institutions and individuals that contributed to the drafting of this report. Joint work on the improvement and protection of child rights in the Republic of Serbia continues, with support by the UNICEF office in Serbia.

Click here to download the Report on the status of child rights in the Republic of Serbia for 2017-2023 (PDF).