“UNITE to end digital violence against women and girls” is the theme of this year’s “Orange the World – 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, which starts on 25 November, when we mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day.

Unfortunately, violence against women and girls remains one of the most widespread forms of human rights violations worldwide, affecting 1 in 3 women globally despite decades of progress in laws, services and prevention.

What have we prepared for you?

Once again this year, the EU Delegation to Serbia is joining this global campaign by opening up important topics. We invite you to follow our social media channels and take part in this campaign, which we will launch on 25 November at 18:00 with the opening of the WOMCOM (Women Power in Comics) exhibition at Europe House in Belgrade.

WOMCOM (Women’s Power in Comics) is a joint initiative involving organisations from six Balkan countries: the Student Cultural Centre Novi Sad (SKCNS), Bakelit Multi Art Center in Budapest (Hungary), Kino Šiška in Ljubljana (Slovenia), PostScriptum in Athens (Greece), the Autonomous Cultural Centre Attack in Zagreb (Croatia), and the Association for the Promotion of Comics in Budva (Montenegro).

This two-year project (2023–2024), supported through the Creative Europe programme, aims to foster cooperation and engagement among women comic artists, explore gender issues in comics, and empower women comic artists through residencies, exhibitions and conferences. During the exhibition opening, visitors will have the opportunity to meet young comic artists Sara Novaković and Staša Miladinović, who will be drawing comic pages on this occasion.

In cooperation with book publishers participating in Creative Europe projects on the Circulation of European literary works, we will be giving away books by Creative Europe publisher – Odiseje (edition You Too Can Change the World) and Kontrast publisher (edition Pride against Prejudice) – the giveaway will be organized on the EU in Serbia Instagram account.

Some of the titles include: Malecko Kraljevstvo princeze Aurelije by Roksana Jendžejevska-Vrobel (Poland), Sve trule jabuke by Moïra Fowley-Doyle (Ireland), Tri kraljice na dva točka by Clémentine Beauvais (France), Porodični rečnik by Natalia Ginzburg (Italy), and many others.

We will continue the campaign with theatre performances of “Sve dobre barbike” (All the Good Barbies) on 26 November at 8 pm, based on the novel by Katarina Mitrović and directed by Đorđe Nešović. Another performance we prepared is “Kako sam naučila da vozim” (How I Learned to Drive) on 29 November at 8 pm, written by Paula Vogel, directed by Tara Manić, and performed by Svetozar Cvetković and Marta Bogosavljević. Both plays will be staged at Hartefakt House in Belgrade, at Bulevar despota Stefana 7.

If you would like to see the play “Sve dobre barbike”, we are giving away 15 free tickets if you register HERE. For the play “Kako sam naučila da vozim”, we are giving away eight (8) tickets if you register HERE.

Theatre play How I Learned to Drive (by Paula Vogel, Hartefakt House)

In cooperation with the BELDOCS festival, we will continue the campaign with a screening of the movie “Radio Silence” as part of Movie Friday, on 28 November at 7 pm at Europe House in Belgrade. Directed by Juliana Fanjul, the movie is an affirmative and empowering story about a woman’s struggle in the face of strong political pressure and threats.

Europe House x Beldocs: Radio Silence (2019)

The Embassy of Sweden in Belgrade is joining the campaign with the exhibition “16 Male Voices Against Gender-Based Violence”, which visitors will be able to see from 1 to 7 December at Europe House in Belgrade.

WeBalkans, Young European Ambassadors (YEAs) and the Council of Europe Office in Belgrade will take part in the campaign with an interactive installation addressing anti-sexism and gender-based violence. Visitors to Europe House will be able to see the installation from 3 December at 6 pm.

The next day, on 4 December at 4 pm, in cooperation with BeFem, FemCheck and Feminizam iz teretane (Gym Feminism), we will organise a series of activities under the title “How do we build networks of resistance? 365 Days of Feminist Action”. Visitors will have the opportunity to see the performance “(Do Not) Be Afraid of the Dark”, an initiative which symbolically portrays women’s experience of fear and resistance in public space, take part in Speed Dating with Feminists, and watch a film by Leila Ruždić Trifunović.

On 8 December, the Swedish organisation Kvinna till Kvinna will organise the conference “Women’s Civil Society Soundboard – Growth Plan and Reform Agenda” at Europe House in Belgrade.

The following day, 9 December at noon, in cooperation with the Embassy of Denmark in Serbia, we will hold a panel discussion on “Combating Disinformation and Hate Speech: A Danish-Serbian Dialogue”. Professor Aleksandra Krstić will take part in the discussion.

In Belgrade, we will close the campaign with “Books in the Spotlight”: on 10 December at 7 pm at Europe House in Belgrade, the novel “Girl” by Irish author Edna O’Brien will be presented. The novel, based on a true story, has been published in Serbia by the Štrik publishing house, in a translation by Jelena Filipović.

How Little Red Riding Hood Survived the Wolf a Second Time (Group “Hajde da…”)

The campaign at Europe House in Niš will start on 26 November with the opening of the “WomCom” exhibition, presenting works by women comic artists from Serbia and the region created as part of the Women Power in Comics (WOMCOM) initiative. The works will be exhibited at two locations in Niš: at Europe House (Vožda Karađorđa 5) and in the “Mezanin” Street Gallery in Balkanska Street. The exhibition opening will be accompanied by a comic workshop for students of the Niš Art School, led by Angelina Milosavljević and Olga Mihailović, whose works will be part of the exhibition.

At the National Theatre in Niš, a performance of the play “How Little Red Riding Hood Survived the Wolf a Second Time” is scheduled for 10 December at 5:30 pm, directed by Marko Pejović and produced by the “Hajde da…” Group. The play, supported through Erasmus+, is based on the story and audio-book of the same name, which refers to the well-known fairy tale of Little Red Riding Hood. In this version, at the beginning of her teenage years, Red Riding Hood recalls a suppressed traumatic experience of sexual violence she suffered as a child. Returning to the “scene of the event” awakens buried memories, bringing with them pain and suffering. At the same time, it becomes an opportunity to integrate that experience. The play is a hybrid of audio narration, acting, dance and interactive games with children that are directly connected to the story. After the performance, a discussion with primary school-age children is planned.

As part of the “Open Studio of Europe” series, Europe House Novi Sad will organise a panel discussion on 26 November titled “Gender Representation and Positioning in Art and Culture”, featuring Žan Mordoj, a French artist living in Serbia, and Frosina Dimovska, a dancer and dance educator.

In partnership with the NGO Sloboda nema cenu (“”Freedom Has No Price”), we will continue the campaign at the OPENS Youth Centre with training for volunteers of the Sazvežđe podrške (“Constellation of Support”) network, workshops for young people and a screening of the movie “Sestre” (Sisters), directed by Vladimir Paskaljević and Bojana Maljević. In addition, from 25 November to 10 December, a series of training sessions and workshops for children and young people on gender equality and the prevention of peer violence will be held at the EU Corner in the Sombor Educational Centre.