LocationsSafety Is Not a Choice
Trainings Held on the Prevention of Domestic Violence
December 4, 2025
Improving the skills needed to assess risk in domestic violence cases and ensuring long-term protection for victims were the main focus of the “Safety Is Not a Choice” trainings organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Serbia and partners from the Ministry of Interior, the Judicial Academy, and the Chamber of Social Protection. The trainings were held throughout Vojvodina during October and November 2025.
Recognizing security risks in domestic violence cases is crucial for preventing the most serious outcomes, including loss of life. Timely and adequate risk assessment enables institutions to react quickly, prevent repeated or escalating violence, and provide victims with the protection and support needed for recovery. For this reason, the trainings aimed to strengthen the ability of institutions to identify key risks, share information, and provide coordinated action — both in emergencies requiring rapid intervention and in planning long-term safety for victims.
Why Risk Assessment Is Key to Protecting Victims
Since the adoption of the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence in 2017, institutions in Serbia have acted in line with clearly defined responsibilities. Representatives of the police, social welfare centers, and public prosecutors participate in Coordination and Cooperation Groups, whose task is to plan the measures taken by each institution to help stop violence. Police respond to every reported case, assess the risk of escalation, and may impose emergency protective measures such as removing the perpetrator from the home or prohibiting contact with the victim. Courts can extend these measures for up to 30 days, while prosecutors—together with social welfare centers and the police—prepare an individual protection plan to ensure the victim’s long-term safety through the application of various measures and resources available in the community.
Almost a decade of implementing this law shows that the quality of risk assessment is crucial. In the past year, police registered just over 27,000 domestic violence cases, while at least 17 women were killed — in 29% of cases through firearms misuse. Although the number of femicides in 2024 decreased compared to previous years, eight women were killed in the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina—which comprises 45 municipalities—accounting for 47% of cases nationwide. These figures point to the need for further strengthening risk assessment practices and implementing various protective measures in this particular region.
Training Based on Real-Life Cases
More than 500 professionals from police departments, social welfare centers, and public prosecutors’ offices—representing 40 municipalities across Vojvodina—took part in the trainings. The program combined analysis of cases inspired by real events with simulations of inter-institutional cooperation, with the goal of improving practical skills in handling domestic violence cases.
Police patrols and criminal investigation officers worked on enhancing their skills in responding to incidents, communicating with victims, collecting evidence, and identifying different forms of violence. Prosecutors, specialized police officers, and social workers focused on assessing complex security factors, planning long-term protection, and establishing effective cooperation between institutions.
Participant Impressions:
"What a victim needs to hear from us is that she is not to blame, and that institutions will use all legal measures available to protect her."Participant from a social welfare centre
"Each system alone may not be able to do everything, but through multisector cooperation we can provide victims with different kinds of support for as long as they need it."Participant from a prosecutor’s office
"Every training renews my sense that my work is not in vain, because over time a person can grow tired."Participant from the police
"We need more frequent basic training on preventing domestic violence. There are few of us doing this—if there were more, the quality would be higher."Participant from the police
A special segment of the training was devoted to recognizing the risks associated with the misuse of firearms—a factor that in Serbia often leads to multiple homicides and, in certain situations, the deaths of police officers responding to incidents.
An additional value of the trainings was that the trainers were experienced practitioners from the Ministry of Interior, the Judicial Academy, and the Chamber of Social Protection, which enabled them to better understand the challenges faced by professionals in each system, identify uncertainties in the application of the law, and continue supporting local experts even after the trainings ended.
UNDP Continues to Support Institutional Capacity-Building
Since 2017, UNDP has supported institutions in the consistent implementation of the Law on the Prevention of Domestic Violence through training programs, improving standardized procedures, and strengthening multi-agency cooperation. The trainings in Vojvodina are part of a broader strategy targeting municipalities where the need for additional support has been identified.
Since 2017, several thousand professionals across Serbia have improved their knowledge through in-person trainings and specialized online courses available through the platforms of the Ministry of Interior and the Judicial Academy, ensuring that everyone involved in victim protection has the necessary tools for timely and effective response.
The “Safety Is Not a Choice” trainings were conducted within the project “Ending Violence – Empowering Change”, jointly implemented by UN agencies in Serbia, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women, in partnership with the Government of the Republic of Serbia, with the support of the Government of Sweden. They were also held within the project “Reduce Risk – Increase Safety III”, implemented by UNDP with financial support from the Federal Republic of Germany, the Kingdom of Sweden, the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the French Republic, the United Kingdom, and the Kingdom of Norway, as well as with general support from the European Union through the Multi-Partner Trust Fund supporting the implementation of the Roadmap for SALW Control in the Western Balkans.