Final Evaluation: The Path to Recovery: Improving the services for victims of sexual violence in Vojvodina (Serbia)

Location: Vojvodina, Serbia 

Grantee partner: Centre for Support of Women 

Grant period: August 2022 – July 2025 

Grant amount: $410,000

Authors/editors: SeConS Development Initiative Group 

Evaluation year: 2025 

Summary

In Vojvodina, the Centre for Support of Women led a three-year initiative to ensure women and girls survivors of sexual violence have reliable access to comprehensive health and psychosocial support. The initiative combined direct service delivery with systemic reforms: establishing and strengthening five Centers for Victims of Sexual Violence (CVSVs), improving coordination among health, justice, and social sectors, and embedding survivor-centered standards through updated protocols and accredited training programs. 

The evaluation finds the initiative highly effective in improving access, quality, and trust. Survivor satisfaction reached 93%, professional competencies strengthened across sectors, and procedural tools were consolidated as cornerstones for coordinated response. While sustainability depends on legal mandates and dedicated financing, the initiative leaves a tested service model, trained professionals, and institutional partnerships that can scale nationally. 

Key findings 

• Five CVSVs fully operational, including one newly established, delivering 1,012 crisis interventions and 517 extended sessions; services integrated medical, forensic, psychosocial, and legal support. 
• Satisfaction of women visiting CVSVs rose from 40% at baseline to 93% in 2025; women reported being believed, accompanied through procedures, and treated with dignity. 
• 442 professionals trained; post-training assessments show 85% supervisors applying protocols effectively, supported by an accredited blended learning program and online platform. 
• Among supported survivors were 87 Roma women, 51 women and girls with disabilities, and 82 low-income women, and self-help groups achieved around 90% participant satisfaction and sustained informal networks. 
• 53 multi-sectoral working group meetings produced eight substantive updates to the Handbook and Special Guide for sexual violence cases, strengthening forensic procedures, clarifying roles, and embedding disability-inclusive communication.

“I called the women’s SOS hotline and that’s how everything started… They helped me report the violence and find a safe place… I wouldn’t have had the strength to do it alone.” - Woman survivor service user