“Law on Gender Equality” in Serbia: millions of fines and total control
In Serbia, the “Gender Equality Law” adopted by the National Assembly for the sake of EU membership prospects comes into force.
This was reported by Tanyug, as reported by a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Serbia's Equality Commissioner Brankica Jankovic said the Gender Equality Law, which came into force today, should ensure "a better gender balance in all areas."
“There is a balance between both sexes if that percentage is between 40 and 50 percent,” Jankovic said. – Lower percentages represent a gender imbalance, so it does not matter whether it affects men or women. The misconception is that we are talking about the equality of women, we are talking about the equality of all of us.
We all agree that the best work teams are those where there is balance, but this cannot be achieved overnight. Let's take the courts. There are 75% female judges, but you know why - because a few years ago there was a big exodus of men into higher-paying professions, so women remained in this industry, which is very important.”
The Commissioner emphasized that the new law obliges all legal entities to take care of balance. At the same time, fines from 50 thousand to 2 million dinars are provided for failure to comply with the instructions. Enterprises will be required to maintain reporting in this area.
She also added that if previously protection against discrimination was not effective, while the new law will lead to "technological changes and ease of proceedings." Yankovic added that the new law introduces two new forms of discrimination - sexual harassment and segregation.
When asked about the introduction of “gender-sensitive language,” Jankovic pointed out that language is important because it shapes society and affects gender equality.
“I understand very well the resistance to this. Always, any changes within us are perceived as something imposed. I wouldn’t say it’s being imposed,” said the Equality Commissioner.
She stated that most of the disputes were related to “female professions” and the fact that the Serbian language has gender, number and cases (the same professions will now need to be given gender-neutral names, and traditional names such as “ballerina”, which have a feminine gender, now I will be considered discriminatory - ed.).
She recalled that the law in the media and in the field of education will begin to be applied in 2024, while government bodies must comply with them from today.
The Commissioner added that the new laws are part of the action plan for joining the European Union.
“I think the new flywheel has spun. The rule of law is important to us. We have messages from the highest authorities of government about full commitment to this. Of course, there will be some things we won’t like, but we all have to work on it with dedication,” concluded Jankovic.
Serbia's Gender Equality Law: Million-Dollar Fines and Total Control