Human rights organization Equality carries out its activities through three programmatic areas:

1. Fight against discrimination and the affirmation of the equality principle
2. Protection and advancement of human rights
3. Anti-hate activism

Fight against discrimination and the affirmation of the equality principle

Today, equality is considered to be the founding principle of all modern societies. However exclusively formal understanding of equality and its selective application have made some people more equal than the others, gave them more rights and secure greater protection by the state, while those others remain marginalized, socially and economically excluded. Therefore, we ask for a consistent application of this principle, which is a constant fight against all forms of discrimination, segregation and marginalization, as well to replace formal with substantive equality.

Various groups of people in Serbia are treated unequally today: Roma, LGBT persons, members of various national minorities, women, persons with disabilities, socially marginalized persons, etc. Equality particularly pays attention at discrimination based on ethnic belonging and/or race/”race” but supports all minority groups in their struggle and encourages solidarity among them.

In the same time, we emphasize the importance of the substantive versus formal equality and advocate for a consequent implementation and further advancement of the economic and social rights, and workers’ and union solidarity, which are crucial for the attainment of the substantive equality and the establishment of the society, based on social justice. Formal equality understood as equality before the law is blind for a reality in which one in abundance enjoy all the rights while others are unable to access rights and justice.

Within this programmatic area, Equality carries out following activities:

• Documents and investigates cases of discrimination and violation of the equality principles;
• Provides free legal aid to victims of discrimination;
• Conduct situation testing of discrimination;
• Initiates legal actions before the independent bodies and courts and is involved in strategic litigation;
• Advocates and lobbies for legal propositions that contributes to combating discrimination;
• Strengthens capacities of organizations and activist engaged in this area;
• Organizes educational activities and produces educational material;
• Organizes campaigns, activist actions, etc. as to raise awareness among the general public on prejudice and discrimination.

Human rights protection and advancement

„Human are born and remain free and equal in rights“, a self-evident truth postulated in the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizens announced the demand of the modern time that is to fight the society of inequality and estates. Human rights, universal, inalienable and inseparable became the tool to attain more just and egalitarian society and to affirm human dignity.

Today human rights are facing more and more severe threat to be limited, conditioned, selectively applied and instrumentalized. We accept this as it is falsely justified by threats to security, austerity measures, so called migration crises, global economic crisis, patriotism, traditional values, etc. International human rights protection system founded on the United Nations key documents has been politically marginalized and belittled, while the enshrined rights are eroded by the new political and economic circumstances. Particularly worrisome is the unrestrained wearying away of economic and social rights that took place during the last decades and which contributed to a growing gap between rich and poor. Besides, the wars of the 90s in the Balkans has strengthen conservative forces that advocate for the renewal of the traditional values and spread national and racial hatred and intolerance

Though Serbia has ratified all the most important documents relating to human rights, which includes regular reporting to the treaty bodies, international human rights standards are still not frequently applied and the national legislation is often noncompliant with the standards. Besides, a great number of laws relating to human rights are adopted in urgent procedures, without participation of the public and consultation with beneficiaries which puts a shadow not just on the human rights protection but the very democracy.

Therefore, we believe that our duty is to struggle to keep the level of human rights and to advance them as accordingly. We demand that the state fulfils its obligation and guarantee to all citizens an unrestricted enjoyment of all the rights enshrined in the Constitution and laws.

Within this programmatic area, Equality carries out following activities:

• Documents and investigates cases of human rights violations;
• Provides free legal aid to victims of human rights violations;
• Monitors the implementation of international human rights standards;
• Reports to the treaty bodies on the implementation of the human rights standards, submits shadow and alternative reports and monitors the implementation of the recommendations;
• Initiates legal actions before the independent bodies and courts and is involved in strategic litigation;
• Advocates and lobbies for the harmonization of the national legislation with ratified international documents;
• Advocates and lobbies for legal propositions that contributes to human rights protection and advancement;
• Strengthens capacities of organizations and activist engaged in this area;
• Organizes educational activities and produces educational material;
• Organizes campaigns, activist actions, etc. as to raise awareness among the general public on human rights.

Anti-hate activism

Throughout history members of various minorities and marginalized groups have been victims of hate motivated attacks and persecution. Some have been humiliated, aggrieved, assaulted, their homes destroyed; others have lived in societies that allowed segregation and apartheid, persecution of others or faced physical extermination. But, the hate was also followed by brave efforts to oppose it. In the aftermath of the World War II disgraced Europe committed itself pronouncing Never Again to never let the crimes happened during the World War II happen again.  Still, since then wars, persecutions and attacks against members of various minorities and marginalized groups took place, and the ideologies of hate, which was believed to be defeated, has found both ne victims and followers.

During the 90s, Serbia has waged the bloody wars that resulted in deaths of tens of thousands persons, several hundred thousand refugees and IDPs, destruction of homes for many… The Serbian society is still unprepared to face with its own responsibility, to punish all perpetrators and sincerely apologize to the victims. These events contributed to the bigotry and intolerance against minorities in general, such as Roma or LGBT persons.

In today’s Serbia it is Roma and LGBT persons that are the most frequent targets of hate speech and hate crimes, followed by other ethnic minorities, particularly Albanians and Bosniaks. Far right organizations and movements usually spread their propaganda unrestrictedly which calls for discrimination, violence against and persecution of minorities.

While the laws sanction the instigation of hate, there is no political will to consequently implement them. Victims are often distrustful towards the institutions and reluctant to report hate crimes and perpetuators are additionally encouraged to repeat the offense as these cases rarely reach the courts and even then result in sentences around or under legal minimum. Hate speech, which often causes the most severe crimes, is prevalent and not adequately sanctioned and its proponents are frequently public figures, politicians and celebrities whose words have a specific weight.

Our anti-hate activities are twofold: on one hand, we ask for the law to be consistently applied and that the perpetuators are adequately punished, and on the other we focus on decreasing prejudice against members of minorities and marginalized groups. Therefore, we pay a special attention to youth engagement, subcultural activism, inter-cultural education and fighting a far right propaganda.

Within this programmatic area, Equality carries out following activities:

• Documents and investigates cases of hate speech and hate crimes;
• Provides free legal aid to victims of hate crimes;
• Monitors media and social network and reacts to hate speech incidents;
• Monitors the implementation of the laws which sanction hate speech and hate crimes and the trials;
• Follows the work of far rights, racist and fascist organizations and movements;
• Advocates and lobbies for legal propositions that contributes to combating hate speech and hate crimes;
• Strengthens capacities of organizations and activist engaged in this area;
• Organizes educational activities and produces educational material;
• Organizes campaigns, activist actions, etc. as to raise awareness among the general public on prejudice and hate and mobilize them against it.