Ban on Corporal Punishment of Children in Serbia: Are We Soon Part of the Club of 70 Countries Worldwide?
The Minister for Family and Demographic Care, Jelena Žarić Kovačević, and the UNICEF Serbia Country Director, Dejana Kostadinova, met today regarding the upcoming end of Kostadinova's mandate in Serbia and discussed the current development of the Program for the Prevention and Protection of Children from Violence for the period 2026-2030.
TL;DR
- A Program for the Prevention and Protection of Children from Violence (2026-2030) is being developed, with a public debate expected after May 28th.
- An action plan for this program will be implemented until 2028.
- Serbia is working on a Strategy for Family and Demographics (until 2036) with demographic projections until 2050.
- Demographic measures have led to 490 more births in early 2026 compared to the same period last year.
- Discussions included raising the child benefit threshold to provide state support to more vulnerable children.
- Serbia is preparing to amend the Family Law to ban corporal punishment of children.
- If passed, Serbia would join 70 countries worldwide that have banned corporal punishment.
- Dejana Kostadinova's mandate as UNICEF Serbia Director ends in June 2024.