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A series of gatherings that are being organized in
Belgrade with the intention of greatly reducing women's rights –
including the right to abortion – have emphasized the extent to
which the authorities, the Serbian Orthodox Church, and right-wing
pro-Russian organizations are intertwined in a political sense.
The "Belgrade Family Days", initially planned for
13 and 14 May, and subsequently rescheduled for June, were declared
a special event, and will be held with the support of the Serbian
Orthodox Church. Mayor Aleksandar Šapić announced the event as "a
large gathering that should demonstrate unity, not only in terms of
family, but also the unity of our people" and one that would promote
traditional values. He also invited the Mayor of Banja Luka Draško
Stanivuković to attend the event, stressing that such gatherings
should become a tradition in all cities of the region.
At the same time, the anti-feminist organization
"Alliance for Life" organized the "International Summit of Pro-Life
Organizations" in Belgrade (12-13 May, 2023). It is a regional
organization for Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina that
is a member of "Pro-life Worldwide" and that maintains ties with
various organizations across the globe that promote traditional
values.
The goal of the Summit is to "exchange
experiences, find new methods of action and strengthen motivation
for new struggles and victories for unborn children." Serbia was
chosen to host the first summit, because "it is among the leading
countries in the world in terms of the percentage of abortions
performed per 1,000 women, and demographically the statistics are
extremely unfavorable”. It was also announced that the international
exhibition "The river of humanity is renewed and purified in
children" would be held during the Summit.
The Serbian Orthodox Church’s activities have
intensified when it comes to anti-gender politics, with increasing
pressure to repeal the Law on Gender Equality, as well as to ban
gender-sensitive language. In his Easter epistle (April), Patriarch
Porfirije said that it is an unconstitutional law "that imposes
so-called gender-sensitive language, which carries with it a fight
against marriage and family."
It is worrying that when it comes to women,
Patriarch Porfirije is at the extreme end of the ideological
spectrum together with right-wingers and conservatives. His
reactions to gender-sensitive language have continued. In one of his
latest statements, which has been circulating on social media, he
labels women "wretched and miserable"...: "I feel like crying,
screaming in agony, when I hear some wretched woman with her straw
man argument saying 'why didn't they take care of women, women are
endangered', well they are endangered, we are all endangered because
of you, you wretch".
Although the Serbian Orthodox Church and the
Patriarch are supposedly against violence, the rate of femicide is
increasing in Serbia. There has been no reaction from the Patriarch
to this tragic phenomenon.
Women's rights activists have warned that
violations of women's rights in Croatia and Poland are a consequence
of the actions of right-wing organizations, which at first seemed
trivial and ridiculous, but in cooperation with right-wing
governments succeeded in worsening the position of women in those
countries.
The Helsinki Committee must warn that Serbia is
getting closer to that model, and that action from both its society
and its state institutions is necessary to put a stop to that trend.
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