Justice for Marija Lukic

I am Ksenija Ciric from Boston Ma were i live with my family.
Born and raised in Serbia, i am still attached to my family and friends there.

Marija Likic is my Serbian friend and she is ccurrently fighting a court battle against sexual harressment. Since she is currently  out of work and paying legal expenses became  a burden for her and her family. I have set up a
fundraiser to help Marija paying these  expenses.  All money will be transferred  to the beneficiary from my US
account and per her wish.

Marija Lukic Story – the story of many women in Serbia

It started at a job interview when Marija Lukic's boss, the top municipal official in a small town in Serbia, locked the office door and tried to kiss her. He later promised it wouldn't happen again. But it did, over and over, until she decided it had to stop. In the two years that she worked as his secretary, Lukic says she has had as many as 15,000
phone messages to prove the harassment.

For daring to speak out about her experiences, the 30-year-old mother of two has become a hero for many women in Serbia, a conservative male-dominated Balkan nation with a strong macho culture.

Last year when she mustered the courage to go to court against the most powerful man in the town, Lukic faced treats and pressure — but she also received scores of support messages flooding in on social media with the hashtag #JusticeForMarija.

Fighting back was no easy thing to do in a country where small-town power-mongers routinely control local institutions and where sexual harassment was only acknowledged as a criminal act in 2017. "All the time, I complained to his closest friends I expected someone at least to tell him to leave me, but all in vain".

Lukic said her own family initially advised her against suing Jelicic, fearing she stood no chance against the local populist chief who boasted that the president protected him.

In court, Jelicic argued that his accusers had tried to seduce him and had sent the harassing messages from his phone. In announcing his resignation, he complained that the campaign against him is part of a political ploy to discredit the President of Serbia, Vucic. The evening Lukic was due to appear on a popular television station, a mysterious power outage prevented much of the town from watching. She almost gave up when unknown men approached her and warned her to forget the lawsuit and delete Jelicic's messages from her Facebook profile to avoid "trouble." Local authorities threatened to close the hairdressing salon owned by Lukic's husband, and she received dozens of hate messages on social networks.

It's been over a year since Marija went to court to seek justice.  Although Marija Lukic’s case has attracted media attention and gained support from many, Marija is still exposed to many threats via social media and in her hometown. The case against the accused is still far from resolved and the pressure on Maria and her family from local authorities and mafia is still immense. Marija and her family are not only experiencing constant fear, which has a very big impact on their daily life and their health, they are now also facing financial hardship.

The day after Marija reported her boss to the authorities she was illegally fired from her job and is still out of work. Her husband is working hard to support his family - but his business is also suffering due to pressure from the local authorities. Marija is also facing additional legal expenses due to this court battle.

Lukic says she will go to the European courts if she doesn't find justice in Serbia. This is a struggle for dignity. "I don't know if I am brave, but now I know I am not alone”, said Marija.


Marija is a brave woman and she does not want to give up, but at this point Marija needs our help. Helping her financially is the least we can do.


Please help Marija since this is not only a struggle for Marija but for all women facing sexual harassment and abuse.


https://www.blic.rs/vesti/drustvo/...marija-lukic-u...o/n3ck8s3