Roma Girls in Serbia Stand Up Against Child Marriage

*Names have been changed to protect the individuals' identity in this article.

In the central Serbian town of Kostolac, 13-year-old Sara* dreams of becoming a musician one day, but more than anything, she dreams of growing up on her own terms. “Marriage is not for girls,” she said. “I need to finish school first, find a job, and then a family”. 

For many Roma girls in Serbia, that dream remains fragile. In some Roma settlements, as many as 55.7% of women married before the age of 18, and 15.8% before the age of 15. [1] Child marriage deprives girls of their rights in their communities and their own homes, affecting their physical and mental wellbeing, hence perpetuating the cycle of poverty and violence.

But a group of Roma women activists is working to change that.  

For more than two decades, the Roma Women Center Bibija (RWC) has worked to protect the rights of Roma girls and end child marriage with a simple yet radical message: You have the right to choose your future. Supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and Girls (UN Trust Fund), RWC leads an initiative in ten municipalities across Serbia through learning activities and dialogues bringing together girls, families, and communities to build a shared commitment to education and choice for Roma girls. 

Empowering Girls  

RWC activists have held 320 workshops and 320 community discussions, reaching more than 590 adolescent girls and 700 Roma community members. The workshops are built around girls’ experiences and everyday realities, where they talk about school, health, and the kind of future they want, finding the confidence to question traditions that once felt tabooed to ask. 

For Ivana*, a 14-year-old from Kostolac, the workshops have become the highlight of her week. “We need to go to school because education is very important,” she says. "Girls are not and should not just be married women and mothers."

The change is visible. In the initiative target areas, the share of Roma girls making informed choices about their education, including selecting course, pursuing higher education or joining vocational training, rose from 30% to 55% in one year. Additionally, three out of four girls now demonstrate improved knowledge about their rights and the impact of child marriage—more than double last year’s figure. 

The programme’s curriculum follows an approach created and led by Roma women who know the communities they serve. Each session is tailored to the girls’ age and experience, using open discussion, games, and mentoring. RWC also engages with older girl participants from previous workshops who now have become role models and mentor younger participants, helping them find confidence to speak up and even lead discussions themselves.

“Before, I didn’t think much about child marriage,” says Nadia*, a high school junior. “We talked about education, health and the future of girls and boys [at the workshops]. Now I know that marriage should be entered into as a mature adult.

Shifting Attitudes in the Community 

Change is also taking root beyond the workshops. RWC works with parents, local leaders, and government institutions—training officials to better understand the specific needs of Roma girls, building trust between communities and service providers, and advocating for stronger legal protections. Since the start of the UN Trust Fund-supported initiative, over 1,200 Roma men and women have taken part in RWC’s awareness programmes, initiating changes within their own homes

At the local level, RWC helped establish 10 local coalitions in all targeted municipalities, bringing together a network of local authorities, health workers, schools and other local organizations to coordinate prevention and response to cases of child marriage. In Kragujevac and Pirot, these coalitions are now developing Local Action Plans that embed prevention measures into broader social protection strategies.

Courage Amidst Backlash, Demonstrations and Tension

Yet, these local advances come amid a wider backlash against gender equality in Serbia. Since late 2024, the Constitutional Court has suspended the implementation of the Law on Gender Equality while reviewing its constitutionality, thus stalling progress on gender-sensitive language and institutional reform.[2] Feminist and human rights groups report intensified hostility, with anti-gender narratives gaining ground in public debate and online spaces.

From November 2024 onward, Serbia has been witnessing large-scale demonstrations first led by students and later joined by women’s organizations demanding accountability, safety, and equal rights. Several activists reported intimidation and surveillance following these mobilizations, reflecting the broader shrinking of civic space.

In this tense climate, organizations like RWC remain a trusted presence in Roma communities, holding space for hundreds of girls to learn, speak, and make choices about their futures.

[1] UNICEF. (2021). “A Childhood, Not Marriage: A Good Practice Guide For Child Marriage Prevention For Local Communities”

[2] https://serbia.un.org/en/292009-road-ahead-gender-equality-all-women-and-girls