E/C.12/SRB/CO/2
(c)
Provide adequate medical, legal and social assistance, including shelter,
to the victims of trafficking, and ensure their access to judicial remedies.
Domestic violence
26.
While welcoming the criminalization of domestic violence, the Committee notes
with concern the reported lack of effectiveness of the National Strategy for Preventing and
Combating Violence against Women in the Family and in Intimate Partner Relationships
(2011–2015), as more than half of the women experienced some form of violence. The
Committee is also concerned about the high incidence of abuse and neglect of children
(art. 10).
The Committee urges the State party to effectively investigate, prosecute and punish
all acts of domestic and gender-based violence, including abuse and neglect of
children; to support victims of such acts, including by providing for adequate crisis
centres that offer safe lodging and necessary assistance; to provide training to law
enforcement officials and judges; and to undertake information campaigns in order to
increase public awareness about the pervasive nature of domestic and gender-based
violence, including abuse and neglect of children.
Children without parental care
27.
The Committee is concerned about the increase in the separation of children from
the family. It is also concerned about the insufficient information on the efforts to provide
alternative family care for children without parental care, and the fact that communitybased alternatives to institutional care are insufficiently developed (art. 10).
The Committee urges the State party to:
(a)
Prevent the separation of children from the family, in the best interest of
the child, and take steps to ensure that the childcare system provides effective support
to families in crisis and at risk of child separation from the family;
(b)
Take further measures to provide adequate alternative family care for
children without parental care, with a focus on children with disabilities;
(c)
Accord priority to community-based alternative social services, rather
than residential institutional care, for children without parental care, and develop
proactive measures for leaving institutional care.
Child labour
28.
The Committee notes with concern that many children, in particular Roma children,
below the minimum age for employment of 15 years work in the streets and in the informal
economy, and are exposed to exploitation and trafficking in persons (art. 10).
The Committee urges the State party to strengthen the monitoring of child labour, in
particular by enhancing the Labour Inspectorate, in order to detect and prevent the
worst forms of child labour, in particular by street children. The State party should
also improve protection and reintegration programmes that focus on family
empowerment and elimination of various forms of abuse and economic exploitation of
children, including positive parenting programmes for marginalized communities,
and compile information thereon, including statistics.
Poverty
29.
The Committee remains concerned about the limited effectiveness of the current
strategies to address extreme poverty in the State party, in particular among refugees,
9