OBJECTIVE: The Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (YUCOM) will form a national NGO coalition, which will advocate establishing permanent mechanisms for the prevention of hate crime and hate speech in Serbia. To raise awareness about the dangers of hate speech and build public support for establishing institutional mechanisms addressing hate crime and hate speech.
• High attendance at YUCOM public events and active citizen participation in the discussions will be indicators of success. YUCOM will also monitor and analyze reactions to its campaign and related activities in the print and electronic media.
• A positive change in the disposition of the public, the media, and the government towards the issues and treatment of hate crime and hate speech will be another indicator of success. YUCOM will compare the monitoring results from the beginning of the project to those at the end of the project, and will conduct a series of interviews with selected representatives of all target groups to identify how the project activities influenced their perception of hate crime and hate speech.
• Any reaction by government officials and the media, such as changes in government or editorial policies, which may have directly resulted from information revealed by the coalition, will be indicators of success.
LOCATION OF THE ACTION: Serbia
NEW: Attacks against Sonja Biserko as a classic example of hate speech against female human rights defenders(November 2008)
