Firearms Misuse and its Impact on Gender-based Violence
22Oct2016

Public Policy Research CENTRE has started a research project focusing on firearms misuse and its impact on gender-based violence (GBV). At least 16 women were killed during 2016. Previous UNDP-SEESAC research which realization was commissioned to the CENTRE is notable since it disclosed that women are five times more often victims than men. Despite of findings which identified firearms possession as a great security threat, particularly in GBV, the problem has not been treated in a systematic manner. 

CENTRE's team will conduct interviews, focus groups and analysis of media reports on GBV and firearms possession. Based on collected data, the team will prepare a study and launch internet platform. Both, the study and the platform are aimed at raising awarness among CSOs that deal with GBV, media and citizens in general. 

The overall objective is to mainstream it in relevant strategic documents, public discourse and consequently influence future policy making, especially in the in the context of the EU integration, such as Ch 24, new Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence, Law on Weapons and Ammunitions (as of 4th March 2016), Strategy against small arms proliferation (expired in 2015), incoming NAP on the implementation of the UN Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security; 

The team will closely cooperate with representatives of local CSO, public institutions and media in Serbia with a goal to raise capacities to understand the topics and to monitor GBV from the perspective of human security. 

The research relies on the CENTRE previous engagement in the field of human secuirty and vulnerable groups' human rights. The project was created by former CENTRE's director, Svetlana Djurdjevic Lukic who recently passed away. Svetlana was among few regional experts for small weapons and light arms. She thoroughly studied a wide range of topics in the field of security and managed to set a number of topics of her interests on goverment agenda (a list of her published works could be found here).

 

Documents

Estimations of the MoI regarding illegal SALW Firearms Misuse and Gender-based Violence

Svetlana Đurđević Lukić Fund: HUMAN SECURITY FOR THE NEW CENTURY

Uncertainty and vulnerability of the individual in the 21st century is the focus of CENTAR’s Human Security Programme. Building on foundations set by the recently departed co-founder and longtime director of CENTAR, Svetlana Đurđević Lukić, CENTAR regards security as a human right and advocates for construing a society in which every individual will have opportunities to reach their potential. Svetlana had a talent of pioneering the introduction of many topics – primarily concerned with the security of vulnerable groups – into security discourse within Serbia. Fostering this approach, starting from 2016, CENTAR, as part of its foundation named after the late Svetlana, holds a competition with the goal of inspiring young researchers to examine modern day threats.