Just like Serbia, all of the EU Member States are facing discrimination, but campaigns and various training can contribute to reducing discrimination, said Head of the Political Section of the EU Delegation to Serbia Luca Bianconi, stressing that the EU will continue to support the Office of the Commissioner for Protection of Equality.
Social tensions generated in times of economic crisis in Serbia have been a fertile ground for the spreading of intolerance and rhetoric of hatred and “reaction of the State against every form of discrimination should be swift and decisive, thus sending a clear message that such behaviour is not acceptable and cannot and must not be tolerated,” Bianconi told the Conference “Serbia on the path of anti-discrimination and tolerance: experiences of Commissioner for Protection of Equality”.
However, “the state should not be the sole promoter of equality protection – this role should be also played by civil society and media,” he added.
As well as in most countries, the laws punishing discrimination have been adopted, but the number of victims seeking protection remains very low, implying that victims find it difficult to recognise discrimination, and also that public awareness, as well as awareness among professionals, is still at a low level, Bianconi said.
Commissioner for Equality Nevena Petrusic warned that in Serbia there was an enormous ethnic distance toward Albanians, Bosniaks, Croats, Roma, whereas 80 percent of Serbian citizens considered LGBT persons unacceptable as friends or neighbours.
This is who we are, this is our reality to which we must stand up to, Petrusic said.
