Gender Advisors in the Serbian Security Sector
Publisher: Belgrade Centre for Security Policy, Serbia
Mechanisms for introducing a gender equality policy into security sector governance, aimed at bringing about gender-sensitive treatment of female beneficiaries of the security system are still lacking in Serbia, according to analyst Gorana Odanovic, writing in a new Belgrade Centre for Security Policy brief.
One way to ensure that gender equality issues are continuously addressed is to create a specific position for an individual whose job would be to advise top management about measures for improving gender equality.
The National Action Plan (NAP) for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Serbia envisages the introduction of a gender advisor to the minister/director at the Ministry of Defense, the Ministry of Interior, the Customs Administration, the Security-Information Agency, and the Administration for Enforcement of Penal Sanctions.
The advisor’s task would be to advise managers during the process of developing and implementing policies, with the goal of facilitating respect for the rights of women and men, both those employed in the security sector and those who use the services provided by security sector institutions. The same document envisages the inclusion of gender advisors in the composition of Serbian contingents in multinational operations.
