Gender Advisors in the Serbian Security Sector

Mechanisms for introducing a gender equality policy into security sector governance, aimed at bringing about gender-sensitive treatment of wom­en beneficiaries of the security system are still lacking in Serbia, explains Gorana Odanovic in BCSP’s new 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.