SEESAC Supports 2nd Basic Gender Awareness Seminar for Cadets of Military Academy in Belgrade

On 31 October 2013, SEESAC, together with the Military Academy in Belgrade, held a one-day Basic Gender Awareness Seminar for twenty five (25) cadets, 3rd year students in the Military Academy. The seminar was organized on the request of the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Serbia and its aim was to increase gender sensitization of both male and female cadets.

This is the second of four (4) basic gender awareness seminars that SEESAC is organizing at the Military Academy in 2013, within the framework of the regional project Gender Equality in the Military: Strengthening of Regional Cooperation on Gender Mainstreaming in Security Sector Reform in the Western Balkans.

The training which is tailored specifically for cadets includes:  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 is dedicated to defining strategies for achieving gender equality, elimination of gender stereotypes and gender based discrimination.  Specific focus is 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 the seminar exercises and expressed their interest in the topic. The next gender awareness seminar will be held on 14 November 2013 at the Military Academy.

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.