We, civil society organisations, call on the Ministry of the Interior to clearly recognise digital violence against women and girls as a form of high-tech crime in the new Programme for Combating High-Tech Crime for the 2026–2030 period.
Although a public consultation on the Programme is currently under way, the proposed document once again fails to recognise digital violence against women in a manner commensurate with the seriousness of the problem. The consequence is not merely the omission of a single issue from a strategic document. When the state fails to recognise a particular form of violence, it does not plan specific measures to prevent it, monitor its prevalence or develop the capacity of institutions to respond to it adequately.
In recent years, Serbia has witnessed numerous cases involving the misuse of intimate photographs and recordings, the organised sharing of content without women’s consent, cyberstalking, harassment, threats and other forms of gender-based violence in the online sphere. These cases have demonstrated that digital violence is not a problem of the future, but an everyday reality for thousands of women and girls.
For years, women’s organisations have been providing support to survivors of digital violence, documenting their cases and advocating improvements to the legislative and institutional framework. Thanks to the joint efforts of civil society organisations, experts and thousands of citizens, the misuse of intimate recordings has, for the first time, been recognised as an issue in the process of amending the Criminal Code. However, without appropriate public policies to support the implementation of the law, the protection of women will remain incomplete.
It is particularly concerning that the Draft Programme fails to recognise the experience of organisations that have worked with victims of digital violence for years, nor does it sufficiently take into account the international standards and recommendations requiring the Republic of Serbia to develop a systemic response to digital forms of violence against women.
We believe that the new Programme must provide for specific measures addressing digital violence against women and girls, including improved record-keeping, strengthened capacities of the police, public prosecutors’ offices and courts, continuous training on handling such cases, and cooperation with organisations that have long provided support to victims and monitored developments in this field.
Efforts to combat high-tech crime cannot be comprehensive if they exclude one of the most widespread forms of violence in the digital sphere. Unless digital violence against women and girls is explicitly recognised in state strategic documents, it will remain insufficiently visible in the work of institutions, while women will continue to bear the consequences of the violence they experience on their own.
An initiative has therefore been launched to enable citizens to participate in the public consultation and jointly call for amendments to the Draft Programme. We believe that public policies concerning safety and security must be developed with the participation of those who have worked with survivors of violence for years and have the best understanding of the challenges they face.
The digital sphere is a public space. Women’s right to safety must apply equally on the streets and online.
Signatories, in alphabetical order:
- Aleksandra Žikić
- Alternative Centre for Girls
- ASTRA – Anti-Trafficking Action
- Autonomous Women’s Centre
- Autonomous Women’s Front
- BeFem Feminist Cultural Centre
- Belgrade Centre for Human Rights
- Centre for Cultural Decontamination
- Centre for Youth Integration (CYI)
- Civic Initiatives
- Ecofemina, Niš
- European Movement in Serbia
- FemIn Collective
- FemPlatz
- Friends of Children of Serbia
- Independent Journalists’ Association of Serbia (NUNS)
- Independent Women’s Centre, Dimitrovgrad
- Institute for Corruption Research Kareja
- Katarina Mitrović
- Lawyers’ Committee for Human Rights – YUCOM
- Network of Organisations for Children of Serbia
- OASIS OF SAFETY
- Okular
- Platform for Social Development and Innovation
- Roma Women’s Association Osvit
- Roma Women from Rural Areas Association, Pirot
- SEFEM – Section for Feminist Research of the Sociological Association of Serbia
- Slavko Ćuruvija Foundation
- SOS Helpline Vranje
- SOS Women’s Centre Novi Sad
- Svjetlana Timotić
- Trag Foundation
- Ternipe Citizens’ Association
- Veronika Mitro
- Victimology Society of Serbia (VDS)
- Vrtić Info
- Women Against Violence Network (WAV)
- Women for Peace
- Women’s Centre Užice
- Women’s Research Centre, Niš
- Women’s Solidarity Collective
- …OUT OF CIRCLE – VOJVODINA, Organisation Supporting Women with Disabilities
