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Marriage and familiy are institutions which are continually evolving. Social reality points to the fact that the traditional concept of marriage does not have the capacity to recognize the full complexity of interpersonal relationships. Hence the aspiration for marriage to be equalized with common law marriages, including long term unions between individuals of the same sex. The European Court of Human Rights has greatly contributed to the improvement of the legal position of same-sex partners. To date, the European Court has not equalized same-sex unions with marriage, however it has foreseen that same-sex couples have to be legally recognized so that their relationship would be protected. Member states are not obliged to recognize same-sex marriages, however they have an obligation to institutionalize same-sex unions, for the purpose of protecting the rights and interests of those individuals who are part of them. The intent is to legally regulate personal and the property rights of same-sex couples, in accordance with the obligations of the Republic of Serbia which emanate from the application of the European Convention on Human Rights. However, the overall impression is that the Draft Law on Same-Sex Unions does not contain consistent and well thought out solutions. Analyzed from the aspect of family law, there are significant criticisms with respect to the currently proposed draft law, particularly with regards to the exercising of parental rights. Although the Draft Law does not foresee the possibility of adopting children, the question is raised as to the basis on which a partner of the child's parent obtains authorities vested by way of parental rights. A belief remains that due to the far-reaching consequences, the process of legally regulating same-sex unions must evolve with great care, especially as this remains an extremely controversial topic in Serbian society.

Criminal prosecution for the abduction of a minor should additionally protect the child's right to live with his parents, or other authorized caregivers, and also to maintain contact with parents or other relatives and close people. The paper is designed to explain the reasons justifying the existence of this incrimination. Some general considerations are given in the introductory part, with a review of the relevant international documents. The central part of the paper is devoted to the analysis of positive law in the Republic of Serbia, with particular emphasis on the mutual relationship between the criminal offense of abduction of the minor and the criminal offense of kidnapping, and to the analysis of controversial issues that arise in the judicial practice. The aim of the paper is to point out the real possibilities of criminal law protection in this sphere, as well as to emphasize the need to respect the letter of the law without loose and extensive interpretation in the judicial practice.

Taking into consideration the importance and role of children in modern society, as well as their position, this article has as its focus juveniles in criminal procedure. The existence of a separate juvenile justice system independent of the criminal law applicable to the adult offenders and general criminal procedure, as well as the periodic changes of the dominant approach in theory and practice reflects the ascendancy of different theoretical perspectives in the juvenile justice. In this paper, the authors scrutinize the models of responding to juvenile crime - justice and welfare model - as two models of the greatest importance in the present reaction of the society to the crimes conducted by the youngest delinquents at the beginning of the new century and millennium. Furthermore, the paper deals with a matter of international legal standards which, to a large extent, give shape to the legal framework for juvenile offenders and provide their rights and position in the criminal procedure. The authors refer to the internationally accepted documents on several levels. From the (almost) universally accepted multilateral conventions on human rights, through the field of recommendations, rules and guidelines which are obeyed and enforced in practice of the juvenile justice although they are of non-binding nature, via the regional European legislative to the national provisions in a particular number of countries. On all the levels mentioned above the rights of the juveniles are regulated having in mind their possible role in the criminal procedure as a perpetrator of a criminal act, as a victim or as a witness. This paper also analyzes the criminal procedure with respect to juvenile perpetrators of the criminal acts in the Republic of Serbia and compliance of the provisions currently in vigor with the international legal standards contained in the international conventions and other internationally accepted and recognized instruments.