CAT/C/SRB/CO/1
page 9
The State party should:
(a)
Increase its efforts to ensure that urgent and efficient
protection measures are put in place and to prevent, combat and punish
perpetrators of violence against women and children, including domestic
violence;
(b)
Ensure adequate implementation of the national strategy to
prevent domestic violence;
(c)
Conduct broader awareness-raising campaigns and training on
domestic violence for officials (judges, lawyers, law enforcement agencies,
and social workers) who are in direct contact with the victims as well as for
the public at large; and
(d)
Take necessary measures to increase cooperation with NGOs
working to protect victims from domestic violence.
Corporal punishment
20. The Committee notes that corporal punishment of children is not explicitly prohibited in
all settings and that it is a common and accepted means of childrearing (art. 16).
The State party, taking into account the recommendation in the United Nations
Secretary General’s Study on Violence Against Children, should adopt and
implement legislation prohibiting corporal punishment in all settings, including
the family, supported by the necessary awareness-raising and public education
measures.
Trafficking in persons
21. The Committee takes note of the inclusion of trafficking in the new Criminal Code (art.
389), which defines human trafficking and includes it as a criminal offence. However, the
Committee is concerned about the reports of cross-border trafficking in women for sexual
and other exploitative purposes and it regrets the low number of prosecutions in this
respect. The Committee also regrets that the State party does not have an effective system
in place to monitor and assess the extent and impact to address this phenomenon
effectively. The Committee is concerned at the decrease in the minimum penalties from
five to three years of imprisonment and that redress and reintegration services are
insufficient for victims of trafficking (art. 16).
The State party should:
(a)
Continue to prosecute and punish perpetrators of trafficking
in persons, especially women and children;
(b)
Intensify its efforts to provide redress and reintegration
services to victims;
(c)
Conduct nationwide awareness-raising campaigns and conduct
training for law-enforcement officials, migration officials and border police