4th Gender Awareness Seminar for the Serbian Military Academy Cadets

In an effort to raise gender awareness among the next generation of military officers in Serbia, SEESAC partnered with the Military Academy in Belgrade to organize a one-day Basic Gender Awareness Seminar. Eight (8) female and seventeen (17) male first year cadets attended the seminar on 5 December 2013.

The fourth basic gender awareness seminar is the final event in the series organized by SEESAC at the request of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia. The seminars, all of which took place at the Military Academy in 2013, are an activity implemented within the framework of the regional Gender Equality in the Military: Strengthening of Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans project.

The training which was tailored specifically for cadets included:  1) presentation on the basic concept of gender, with the focus on the importance of gender and gender equality in security sector reform, 2) presentations of statistical data on the position of men and women in Serbia, including statistical data on the position of women in the Armed Forces in Serbia. 

In addition, the seminar was dedicated to defining strategies for achieving gender equality, elimination of gender stereotypes and gender based discrimination.  The specific focus was on the role women have in the development and implementation of the security sector reform policies as well as the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in Serbia. 

The cadets who took part in the seminar actively participated in exercises and expressed their interest in the topic. The previous seminars were held on 14 November, 31 October, and 17 October. 

ABOUT THE GENDER EQUALITY IN THE MILITARY PROJECT

SEESAC's Gender Equality in the Military project aims to create a more conducive environment for the advancement of women in the military in the Western Balkans. With this as its goal, SEESAC is supporting the Ministries of Defense in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia in their efforts to ensure better integration, retention and professional development for women in the armed forces as well as stronger participation of women in decision-making and gender sensitive change in their organizational cultures.