To protect and improve economic and social rights of the elderly

Today, the Deputy Protector of Citizens for Gender Equality, Jelena Stojanović, once again pointed out the necessity of raising awareness about the rights of the elderly, especially elderly women in the countryside, who are in a disadvantageous position primarily due to insufficiently developed special services and support services at the local level.
Elderly women in the countryside do not enjoy rights in the field of social and health care to the full extent. They are often exposed to discrimination, as well as abuse and violence, usually financial that they don't know how to recognize, said Stojanović at a meeting on the realization of economic and social rights of elderly women in the countryside in the village of Laćarak near Sremska Mitrovica.
Stojanović presented the economic and social rights that are guaranteed in the context of the Revised European Social Charter and regulations of the Republic of Serbia, as well as the mechanisms for the protection of those rights, and invited those present to contact the Protector of Citizens if they believe that their rights have been violated by the actions or failre to act of administrative authorities.

The president of the "Strength of Friendship – Amity" association, Nadežda Satarić, discussed with the participants of the meeting the problems they face in exercising their economic and social rights, as well as what social and health care services are available to them.
At the meeting organized by the Protector of Citizens in cooperation with the "Strength of Friendship – Amity" association, in addition to Slađana Marčeta, deputy head in charge of social protection of the city administration of the city of Sremska Mitrovica and the elderly residents of the village of Laćarak, the representatives of the Caritas association from Sremska Mitrovica also actively participated, as well as representatives of the women's association of the local community of Laćarak, women's association "Laćarkuše", and the Laćarak Roma association.
The meeting in the village of Laćarak was held as part of the project Strengthening the capacity of the Protector of Citizens in the protection and promotion of economic and social rights, in accordance with the ratified provisions of the Revised European Social Charter, with a special focus on improving the exercise of rights of elderly women in the countryside, which the Protector of Citizens is implementing in cooperation with the organization "Strength of Friendship – Amity", with the support of the Council of Europe. The goal of the project is to protect the rights of that particularly sensitive social group through reporting on the implementation of the Revised European Social Charter as an instrument that proclaims and encourages the full protection and enjoyment of rights of the elderly.