Persons with mental and intellectual difficulties are the most stigmatized social groups of all. Consequences of stigma towards these people present themselves in a wide range including social withdrawal; feelings of loneliness; low self-esteem; failure to take care of oneself; avoidance of seeking help; low enrolment in any kind of treatment; financial poverty and total social marginalization. Although most of the attempts to overcome stigmatization towards this population have shown a very pessimistic perspective, it is important to overcome our own helplessness in treating this issue and continue with the efforts to combat stigma. The only way to succeed is through continuous and careful analysis of the factors that contribute to a human tendency to stigmatize that could then be utilized as the ground base in development of mechanisms to battle this issue. This paper summarizes ways that the stigmatization of persons with mental and intellectual difficulties is manifested as well as the negative influences it has on the people who are stigmatized. Factors that contribute to the stigmatization of persons are carefully considered, as well as possible mechanisms that could be utilized as part of efforts to combat stigma.

International human rights law has been challenged because of its alleged inability to safeguard the rights of the most vulnerable victims of violence. Whereas in real life they are often marginalized and effectively left without adequate protection, this is not to be attributed to the absence of an appropriate normative framework but rather to the contempt, lack of enforcement and systemic neglect of their claims. This paper proposes to find a ?cure? inside international human rights law, by strengthening the mechanisms that permit a horizontal application of human rights standards in private relations. The paper is divided in four sections. The first section describes the problematic at hand, focusing in particular on violence against women and children. The three subsequent sections then analyze the avenues open to victims in order to claim a ?third-party? application of human rights treaties against non-state actors who have violated their fundamental rights.

This paper aims at presenting a part of the research ?Fostering victim-oriented dialogue in a multiethnic society?, which was conducted by the Victimology Society of Serbia in the course of 2012 and the beginning of 2013 within the project ?Developing alternative understandings of security and justice through restorative justice approaches in intercultural settings within democratic societies? - ALTERNATIVE. The result of research into the activities of the state agencies and institutions in Serbia in dealing with multi-ethnic conflicts during the 1990s onwards will be presented. The analysis should identify the discourse of the state in relation to multiethnic conflicts in order to observe any changes or developments in the past two decades. In addition, the focus is on identifying the place and role of restorative justice in how the state responds to these conflicts in order to assess the potential of such an approach in Serbia and consider possible pathways towards its broader use.

In this paper, the author deals with the question of realization of guaranteed freedom of peaceful assembly and the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. The prohibition of discrimination and freedom of peaceful assembly are prescribed by international documents and domestic law. The main emphasis will be on the prohibition of the Pride Parade that was to be held in Belgrade in October 2011 and on the rights and freedoms of the LGBT population that were consequently violated. However, on 22 December 2011 the Constitutional Court of Serbia upheld a constitutional complaint lodged by the organizers of the Pride Parade in 2009. The Constitutional Court ruled that the competent authorities in Serbia banned the 2009 Pride Parade in violation of the Serbian Constitution. This decision is of great importance for human rights protection in Serbia and the cornerstone judgment regarding the prohibition of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and realization and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms in our country.

Treatment of persons with psychological difficulties varied in different historical periods, but in its essence remained similar until today. It included an inhumane relationship towards these persons, involuntary treatment through torture, and isolation from society as a kind of punishment for their diversity. It was not until the late 19th century that the relationship of society towards these individuals started to improve gradually, but in the 21st century isolation of these individuals still remained the dominant form of acceptable social solution for the ?problem?, with a somewhat more humane attitude towards them and less cruel treatment. Serbia has followed the trends of treatment of the persons with psychological difficulties from the rest of Europe for centuries, but is still lagging behind the world in the introduction of new methods of treatment. Indeed the first legal solution to regulate the human rights of these people is currently in the process of implementation. The subject of this paper is the treatment of persons with psychological difficulties and the violation of their civil rights. In a subject specific context the goal of the analysis was the historical review of the treatment towards persons with psychological difficulties by doctors, other practicioners and the community in general, with reference to the current situation regarding their treatment within the psychiatric institutions, as well as the legal regulations and the protection of their civil rights.

The Correctional Institution for Women in Pozarevac is the only institution in Serbia for serving prison sentence by female persons. In order to find out what the living conditions in this institution are, Victimology Society of Serbia conducted an action research in 2011 and 2012. The data was collected through observation of the conditions in the female prison and through interviews with female prisoners and the prison staff. The data was analyzed by the use of both qualitative and quantitative methods. The aim f this paper is to present the results of the research in regard to the living conditions for female prisoners. The data is analyzed in the light of the Law on the execution of the criminal sanctions of the Republic of Serbia and the UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders (the Bangkok Rules).

In the introduction of the paper the author refers to the position of women in the criminal justice system, which implies that special rules should be applied with respect to the specific needs of girls and women. In the central part of the paper, the author analyzes the Bangkok Rules (UN Rules for the Treatment of Women Prisoners and Non-custodial Measures for Women Offenders), that were adopted in 2010. This is the first international document that identifies, in a comprehensive and systematic manner, specific factors of female crime and special needs of women and mothers, which implies that it has a pivotal role in the system composed of other United Nations documents. Finally, the author concludes that the real improvement of the position of women in the penal system will take a lot more effort and resources and that the adoption of the rules is not sufficient.

This paper describes the accomplishments of the Commitee on crime prevention & control. Its focus is on the functions discharged by its last Chairman Dusan Cotic before, during and after the Eight Congress held in Havana, and in the following months leading to the formal establishment of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice.

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The author analyzes the usefulness of victimization surveys. The paper is focused of surveys in which nationally representative population samples are surveyed for their personal victimisation experiences, and their attitudes and opinions of issues related to crime and crime control. The author points out the benefits of using victimization surveys, but also explains why most countries have failed to make systematic use of this instrument.