(d) The Committee urges the State party to ensure that all women victims of violence have adequate assistance and unhampered access to effective protection from violence, including by ensuring a sufficient number of shelters funded by the State and improving the cooperation with relevant non - governmental organizations in this respect.

28.The Republic of Serbia adopted the General Protocol for Action and Cooperation of Institutions, Bodies and Organizations in the Situations of Violence against Women within the Family and in Intimate Partner Relationship in 2011. Four special protocols were adopted for judiciary, police, social protection services and health services during 2013 and 2014.

29.Within the project for supporting the victims and witnesses carried out by the Republic Public Prosecutor, the Information Office for Victims and Witnesses started working at the Higher Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade on 10 April 2014. The objective of establishing this office is providing information to victims and witnesses related to their rights and obligations in the criminal procedure, with the aim of increasing effectiveness of public prosecution in regard to criminal cases on the one hand, and simplifying and approximation of the judicial systems to the citizens on the other hand. A special telephone line and e-mail address have been provided for the Information Office to allow easier communication with the citizens. It is planned to form such offices in the other three centres — Novi Sad, Niš and Kragujevac, and all other 25 higher public prosecutor’s offices.

30.During January 2015 the Republic Public Prosecutor’s Office signed a memorandum of understanding with the civil society organization “Victimology Society of Serbia” as one of the key partners in organizing support services for victims and witnesses. In this way, victims and witnesses will be sent to relevant organizations that provide support and help, and where the necessary services will be provided for the victims.

31.The working group for monitoring and coordination of activities of police in the cases of violence against women in family and intimate partner relationships was established in the Ministry of Interior, as well as a network of coordinators in all police departments (56). Guidelines for their work contain instructions on agreements that should be concluded by all relevant parties in the local government units. Statistical monitoring of activities related to domestic violence has been established and the obtained data will be delivered to the Serbian Parliament’s Committee for Human and Minority rights and Gender Equality. The Handbook on preventing secondary victimization and enhancing gender sensitivity and procedures in cases of violence in family or in intimate partner relationships was created at the end of 2014.

32.In the Centre for Basic Police Training, legal framework is studied, which is related to domestic violence and actions to be taken in the cases of domestic violence and psychological and tactical approach to victims. During 2013 and 2014, training was realized for 2,000 representatives of all police departments for effective application of the Special Protocol for Police, while approximately 600 police officers attended the seminar “Domestic Violence and Institutional Protection”. In 2014 training was carried out for coordinators of the activities for prevention and elimination of violence against women, related to enhancing techniques of interviewing using the so called PEACE method and training for assessing the risk of repeat victimization of domestic violence, on the basis of the so-called “SARA” model (14 police officers from larger police departments).

33.In the Republic of Serbia, out of 14 existing safe houses (for 160 persons) 12 are State-owned, while only 3 of them offer free accommodation, and 1 of the remaining 2, led only by women’s organizations, only offer emergency accommodation.

34.The Work Plan of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality for 2015 includes mapping of capacities of existing services for violence against women, construction of three safe houses (South-West and East Serbia and Kikinda) adjusted to women with disabilities and women of different sexual orientation, creation of network of the existing safe houses, regulating minimal standards of accommodation in the safe houses and introducing a unique SOS number for supporting victims of violence against women.

(e) The Committee urges the State party to ensure that the relevant authorities are aware of the importance of issuing emergency protection orders for women at risk and of maintaining such orders until the women are no longer at risk.

35.From February to May 2014, the Social Inclusion and Poverty Reduction Unit of the Government, in cooperation with the civil society organization “Autonomous Women’s Centre” and the Institute of Psychology at the Philosophical Faculty of the University of Belgrade carried out Qualitative research on effectiveness of mechanisms for combating violence against women at the national and local level.

36.The research was carried out in nine towns (Novi Beograd, Pančevo, Ćuprija, Kruševac, Leskovac, Niš, Bačka Topola, Sremska Mitrovica and Užice) with the participation of 199 experts.

37.The results were presented at the meetings of key institutions during which recommendations were formulated for improving systemic response to violence against women, domestic violence and protection of victims.

38.The Vice-President of the Government and president of the Coordination Body for Gender Equality supported the initiative of the “Autonomous Women’s Centre” for introducing emergency protection measures for women victims into the Law on Police. The initiative was also delivered to the National Assembly with 2,500 signatures.