Montenegro

This year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign 2009 in Montenegro contributed to concrete results

In the spirit of partnership, the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights/Department for Gender Equality, Parliamentarian Committee for Gender Equality, UN agencies in Montenegro (IOM, UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR and WHO), OSCE and Council of Europe built the 16 Days of Activism against Violence in Family Campaign 2009 in Montenegro upon the efforts on promotion of the new Law on Protection from Domestic Violence. Specific goals of the campaign were to support the Government to adopt the Law which will combat family violence; to raise awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue; and to strengthen local work around violence in the family. 

Acknowledging that it is ready and willing to address the problem of violence in family, the Government of Montenegro has adopted a Draft Law on Protection from Domestic Violence. Also, at their session held on December 10th, the International Human Rights Day, the Government of Monteegro adopted a Declaration to proclaim 2010 the Year of fight against violence in family. In this way this year’s 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign contributed to introducing a concrete action vis-à-vis commitments of the Presidents of the Government, the State and the Parliament. Now, it is up to all of us to support and to further contribute to this action.

Within the 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign, Prime Minister of Montenegro Milo Đukanović, President Filip Vujanović and Speaker of the Parliament Ranko Krivokapić all demonstrated dedication to the goals of the campaign by hosting events that brought together representatives from numerous international and national organizations, the judiciary and the police, all of whom will play vital roles in preventing violence in Montenegrin families.

At the campaign launch at the Presidential Residence in Cetinje, the Royal Capital of Montenegro, H. E. President Filip Vujanović, President of Montenegro sent the first of its kind message coming from the state leadership: the Government would not close their eyes to the reality of the problem. “The statistics in the reports of the United Nations show that every third of families faced with violence. In Montenegro the situation, unfortunately, is not particularly favorable. Montenegro will not turn a blind eye before this problem but it will provide full support to its political, professional and general public, in order to improve the standards and professional conduct and overall cooperation among all relevant institutions,” said President Vujanović launching the campaign on the occasion of 24th November, International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women.

“During the upcoming 16 days of activism against domestic violence we wish to encourage all citizens to dedicate themselves to the fight against domestic violence, and to express appreciation for personalities, institutions and NGOs who gave undoubted contribution and support to victims of violence in the past decade,” said President Vujanović.

On International Human Rights Day, the Government adopted the Declaration to proclaim 2010 the Year of fight against violence in family. “By uniting its forces, state institutions and international organizations have successfully implemented this year's campaign. The Government of Montenegro, as a responsible entity, will continue to actively participate in these projects,” said Prime Minister of Montenegro, H.E. Mr. Milo Đukanović.

Prime Minister Đukanović underlined that the 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign came across a wide support of the Montenegrin public, which will encourage its actors to continue working with maximum commitment to eliminating violence against women and domestic violence. He also stressed the importance of specific treatment of this and similar social problems.

“Montenegro has maintained a healthy patriarchality or understanding that the family represents the social stability, security and peace that come when they are most needed,” said the Parliament Speaker, H.E. Mr. Ranko Krivokapić. He opened an exhibition of children's drawings on the theme “Domestic violence” that was organized within the 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign, and was attended by the Parliament Members, representatives of international organizations and senior officials. “These 156 works of children from 24 primary schools and 14 works of the children from the ‘1 jun’ Institute for Disabled Children, show all their underlying anxieties and our failures to prevent violence in the family,” said Parliament Speaker Krivokapić. The drawings show, he said, visible children’s fear for the family peace and for preservation of what gives a basic stability of each personality. “These images are all presented in the way that, above all, urge us to start thinking and to commit ourselves to being institutionally strong a threat in the beginning, and later a complete obstacle to violence in the family,” Parliament Speaker Krivokapić said.

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Chairman of the Parliamentary Board for International Relations and European Integration Mr. Miodrag Vuković reported to the representatives of international organizations on the current status of the Montenegrin legislation on the issue of gender equality. He pointed out that the Law on Election of MPs and members was one of the laws expecting the harmonization with the Constitution.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Montenegro, Mr. Alexander Avanessov expected that the campaign "16 days against violence against women" would give concrete results this year. “The main goal of the campaign is to provide recommendations to the Government, and to all individuals in terms of relevance of this problem and the need to resolve it,” Mr. Avanessov explained. He said that Montenegro has all the preconditions and capability to stop domestic violence.

Mr. Avanessov also said that the domestic violence was a problem in all countries, and the Montenegrin Parliament is contributing to spreading the messages about the problem. He pointed out that the problem exists, because, he said, “on the one hand some say that violence is reduced, and on the other hand, surveys show that women are still victims of violence.”

“In order to make family life more dignified, we need to suppress the violence,” said H. E. Ms. Paraschiva Badescu, Head of OSCE Mission to Montenegro. “There is still a lot of domestic violence against women, children, and it is not good. Let us jointly exclude domestic abuse from the Montenegrin society. Improving the normative framework is just one of the ways, and that is why the draft law on protection from family violence has been prepared,” Ambassador Badescu undelined.

Ms. Jamila Seftaoui, OSCESenior Advisor on Gender Issues believes that violence against women is a crime that cannot be justified by traditional and cultural reasons in society. “Violence against women is a serious violation of fundamental human rights and is, in fact, violation of the rights of more than half the world's population. It should be clearly said that violence against women is a crime which should be addressed by the law, politics and education, and every part of society should see it in that way,” said Ms. Seftaoui.

UNDP’s Regional Gender Practice Leader Ms Koh Miyaoi said that violence in family  is no longer a “private event at home” but is a problem that concerns society as a whole. She said that the UNDP with international organizations and state institutions, is a key partner in the various initiatives that are designed to end violence against women.

Ms. Miyaoi estimated as shocking that 70 percent of women in the world were victims of physical or sexual violence of men. “It happens everywhere, at home, at work, on the street, in schools, as well as in times of peace and conflict. This occurs in every country regardless of its level of development and economic situation,” she said.

Interview with UNDP’s Regional Gender Practice Leader Ms Koh Miyaoi: Montenegrins can help prevent violence against women by learning from international experiences

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At the session of the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality organized on the occasion of the 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign, Member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Mr. José Mendes Botasaid that it was „useless to adopt legislation if its application is not always in control.” He also said that violence against women “costs the states about two percent of gross domestic product,” and that “those who suffer from the violation of law cannot be productive members of the community.” - This means that they cannot provide its maximum in the workplace, and therefore do not suffer only the members of their families but also their colleagues. It is not simply about a state having the law, but it must also monitor its implementation. This means that you should check on what the police do when they receive notification of the violence in the family, what hospital services do, and how psychologists and social workers assist victims of violence,” Mr. Bota explained, and he added that about 80 million women worldwide suffer violence in family.

The Chairwoman of the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality Ms. Nada Drobnjak thinks that violence against women in Montenegro remains silent, and that the family is idealized. “The most recent survey showed that 82 percent of women were not victims of violence in family. On the other hand, 37 percent of the interviewed women claimed to know of such cases, and 23 to know a number of victims of violence. This must be put an end on, because   violence in family is being reproduced, i.e. children copy that type of behavior when they grow up,” Ms. Drobnjak says.

Ms. Drobnjak emphasized the work of activists from the civil organizations sector who, according to her, opened up a story about violence in family, despite an attitude in the past about violence having not existed because there were no official relevant data. “When it became clear that the issue of violence in family does not belong in the private sphere but is transferred to the society as a whole, women were encouraged and began to turn to the competent state bodies,” she explained. Ms. Drobnjak also pointed out that it was particularly encouraging that the writers of the Draft Law on Protection from Domestic Violence recognized that it was important that the law give authorization to police officers who came on the spot to remove the thug for a period of three days. “Women and children, thus, will not have to leave the apartment, they will not have to run away but will remain in their home, while the violator will be the one to have to go away,” Ms. Drobnjak stressed out.

Women with disabilities in Montenegro have been underestimated because of gender and health, it was assessed at a round table on violence from the perspective of women with disabilities, organized also within the 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign - in relation to International Day of Persons with Disabilities.

Head of the Office for Gender Equality Ms. Nada Drobnjak said that often we do not notice how many obstacles to normal life women with disabilities face. “Often invisible, these obstacles are a serious problem, and despite all the declarations of equality and equal opportunities, care for women with disabilities’ own health has its additional burdening aspects, such as inadequate beds, dental or gynecologic table, mammographic check-up and other diagnostic procedures that are not functionally adapted for disabled women,” Ms. Drobnjak said.

A representative from the Institute of Public Health Dr. Jelena Radulović emphasized that data from three years ago showed that women with special needs are often closed in the house and are often victims of violence. Dr. Radulović pointed out that almost a third of women injured by bullies get beaten all over their bodies, and that every third abused women with disabilities went to the doctor with a head injury. “Very often they feel like they are a burden to their families and they suffer from stigmatization in the family, community and institutions,” said Dr. Radulović.

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Within the 16 Days against Violence in Family Campaign, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights - Department for gender equality and the UNDP Office in Montenegro organized a workshop on gender mechanisms for gender equality.

Participants in the workshop were coordinators from ministries and other administrative bodies, representatives of the Committee for Gender Equality of Montenegro's Parliament and representatives of professional services of the Assembly of Montenegro.

“Gender equality is a complex social issue in which the legacy intertwined with new social and development norms, and that made the expected changes in personal value systems and socially. This question reflects the spheres of political, economic, social life, as well as public and private spheres. It is therefore of special importance to carefully monitor gender trends in social change and learn about them, in order to enable citizens to fully enjoy their rights and freedoms. We are determined to achieve progress on this issue in Montenegro and we feel the need to enhance partnerships among all actors, and this seminar is a step in that direction,” was a joint conclusion of the participants in the workshop.

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The text of the first report on the implementation of the UN Convention on Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women should be completed soon, after which it will be referred to the Government for approval, it was stated at the Committee for Gender Equality session.

Coordinator of the Department for Gender Equality at the Ministry for Human and Minority Rights Ms. Irena Bošković said that during the drafting of the Report they faced the lack of quality statistical data by gender, while for some areas data did not even exist. “On average, women work daily 3,6 hours in house more than men, which prevents their participation in politics and public life. We came to a conclusion that the decision making places have a small number of women. Regarding rural women we do not have information about their needs, how they live and how they can be helped. Noticeable is a trend of growth of enrollment and graduating from faculties by women. Among the masters of arts there is a greater number of women – i.e. 51, 3 per cent and 48 per cent of men. However, among doctors of science there are more men: 71 percent, and 28 percent of women,” said Ms. Bošković, and she added that the initial report was done by a working group composed of representatives of relevant ministries.

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According to the research done by NGO "SOS telephone for women and children victims of violence," 70 percent of women victims seek out only after many years of abuse. In 93.6 percent of cases the bullies were violent partners. Every second abused women (47.3 percent) attended endangering children, and every third was thrown out of the apartment. A threat to murder was experienced by one in five abused women in Montenegro, and every tenth experienced an attempted murder.

According to the report of the European Commission for 2008, every second woman in Montenegro suffered verbal violence, while every third woman was a victim of physical abuse.

Of 520 persons, against whom criminal reports were filed last year, 94 percent of cases were male, including 212 returnees.

561 persons are victims of domestic violence, of which 81 percent of women, it was stated by the police.

The Montenegrin government will intensify activities to combat violence against women in the family by including all relevant actors, as well as the general public, it was stated in the Declaration to proclaim 2010 the Year of fight against violence in family. By adopting this Declaration the Government has sent, as its representatives said, a message that reconfirms the determination that such conduct must be suppressed. The Government is committed to implement all necessary measures to prevent violence against women and violence in family, with an aim to achieve human rights and fundamental freedoms. The Declaration also states that the Government remains dedicated to the implementation of national legislation and international documents that guarantee human rights and fundamental freedoms, which they say will contribute to a more efficient fight against violence against women and violence in family.