The Report was presented by Minister without portfolio responsible for demography and population policy and President of the Governmental Council for the Rights of the Child Prof. Dr Slavica Djukic Dejanovic who said that the new Governmental Council for the Rights of the Child was constituted on 7 November 2017 and has so far had four sessions. At the constituting session the Council members were informed about the Report on the determinants and factors of child abuse in Serbia, the work on the Strategy for the prevention and protection of children from abuse and the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child General Comment no.21 on children in street situations. The Council members were also informed about the implementation of the 2016-2025 Roma Social Inclusion Strategy. It also launched an initiative with the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs to set up a working group to draft a new National Plan for Children as an umbrella document for the protection of children’s rights.

The Council President also spoke about UNICEF’s Call to Action, a document based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Sustainable Development Goals and above all the best interests of any child, which sets the support of children in early childhood as a priority since the first thousand days in a child’s life are key for the development of future potentials especially as regards the central nervous system. The Council also launched an initiative with the Serbian Government to have Serbia join the Global Partnership to End Violence against Children, an alliance of countries dedicated to the same goal, and gain access to an international exchange of knowledge on the topic.

The Council President went on to disclose the worrying fact that Serbia ranks 46th on the End of Childhood Index, having descended by five ranks compared to last year. The Index covers 175 countries around the world. Some of the reasons for such a low ranking are marriages and termination of pregnancies among underage girls and child labour, especially in the Roma population.

The Committee members had questions about the mentioned initiatives and pointed out that children living in rural areas should be included in the especially vulnerable category.

The Committee went on to adopt the Governmental Council for the Rights of the Child Activity Report submitted by the Ministry of Labour, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs.

The sitting was chaired by Committee Deputy Chairperson Nada Lazic and attended by the following Committee members and deputy members: Veroljub Arsic, Prof. Dr Vladimir Marinkovic, Milanka Jevtovic Vukojicic, Jelena Mijatovic, Marko Djurisic, Milija Miletic, Elvira Kovacs, Danijela Stojadinovic, Dr Radoslav Jovic, Milena Corilic, Dr Sanda Raskovic Ivic, Enis Imamovic and Sandra Bozic.