The top European Union diplomat in Serbia, Sem Fabrizi, said on Friday the bloc has been supporting changes regarding gender equality across the world, adding the Union had been aiding Belgrade to implement the Istanbul Convention and the judiciary to process the perpetrators.

He added, „it was necessary to increase efforts,“ to create a world where women and men would be equal.

Speaking at a conference marking the tenth anniversary of the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence Against Women and Domestic Violence, Fabrizi said that women and girls „on and of the line must be protected in the whole world.“

The participants, including Serbia’s officials, agreed the Istanbul Convention had helped countries create an equal protection system for victims of gender-based violence and domestic violence, but work still needed to be done to prevent and combat patriarchal stereotypes.