NARS WPN coordinator Marija Obradovic said that out of the 250 MPs of the Serbian Parliament, 85 are women, heading 9 of the 20 assembly committees, which is an encouraging statistic, and the WPN has without a doubt made sure that women’s voice and suggestions be heard. She said that in the four-years and three legislatures of its existence the Women’s Parliamentary Network has contributed to launching certain crucial initiatives. Combating violence, gender-responsive budgeting, single-parent families are just some of the topics the WPN tackled.

Dubravka Filipovski said that one of the WPN’s achievements is rescinding statute of limitation for sexual abuse. The 2017 budget is gender-responsive, meaning more money was allocated for predominately women’s activities than in previous years, again at the WPN’s initiative. Another initiative that bore fruit was including more content into elementary and high school textbooks educating children how to recognize sexual abuse and how to fight it.

The members of the provincial parliament said that it is important to develop women’s parliamentarism at the local level, adding that the Municipal Assembly of Indjija will be getting its network of councilwomen on Tuesday.

The parliamentarians concluded that these achievements do not mean that there are no challenges left and next year’s priorities will be insisting to raise the numbers of women in the executive power and improve their status in political parties.