Trustworthy Person – Antidiscrimination Mechanism or Not?

Trustworthy person is a mechanism intended to ensure gender equality in the security sector. The introduction of such an person is provided for by the NAP for Implementing R1325 in Serbia.

The introduction of an person who will mediate, provide counsel, and initiate action to settle gender equality and discrimination-related disputes was first planned in the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Finance’s Customs Administration, the Administration for Execution of Criminal Sanctions, and the Security Information Agency.

Unfortunately, this mechanism has still not ‘taken root’ in our security and defence system, since ‘trustworthy persons’ have not yet been appointed in any of the above institutions with the exception of the SIA.

The purpose of this paper is to inform the general public, as well as the professional community, about this mechanism and the reasons for its introduction. Moreover, the paper offers political decision-makers and prospective ‘trustworthy persons’ proposals for how this mechanism can be introduced and models for how to organise its functioning.

The paper primarily rests on the analysis of legal sources about gender equality and discrimination, the research on discrimination in the security sector, and the existing material about the ‘peer support person’ mechanism, which in our country is currently in place only in the Ministry of Interior. Finally, the paper includes recommendations intended, primarily, for security institutions.