Final Evaluation: Accessible Services for Women with Disabilities Survivors of Custodial Violence (Serbia)

Location: Serbia  

Grantee: Mental Disability Rights Initiative of Serbia (MDRI-S)  

Grant period: 1 September 2019 – 30 November 2021  

Grant amount: USD 260,200  

Authors/editors: Center for Support of Women  

Publication year: 2022  

The “Accessible Services for Women with Disabilities Survivors of Custodial Violence”, funded by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, was implemented between September 2019 and November 2021 by the Mental Disability Rights Initiative of Serbia (MDRI-S). The project’s main objective was to ensure that women and girls with mental disabilities have greater support and feel empowered to live their life free of custodial violence through: 

• empowering women; 
• building the capacities of service providers for changes in practice; 
• improving policies and procedures to recognize custodial violence; and  
• meeting international prevention and protection standards.  

Main findings of the evaluation:  

• By the project end, 80 out of 160 service providers had an overall knowledge and understanding of gender-based violence in custodial institutions, while 20 out of 160 had been empowered to implement different health, social and legal services to women with disabilities who have experienced custodial violence.  
• Women were informed and empowered to report cases of violence to staff, through mentoring support and permanent external support.  
• Women and girls with mental disabilities in custodial institutions were more empowered to report cases and to contact the MDRI-S helpline after receiving, early in the pandemic, mobile phones enabling them to receive information on available mechanisms of support.