Recommendations from Young People for Combating Violence
Consultations held with young people to develop a five-year Strategy for the Protection of Children against and Prevention of Violence
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PODGORICA, 5 APRIL 2024 – Introducing anti-violence clubs in schools, discussing the consequences of violence from an early age, organizing workshops for students who perpetrate violence and those who are victims of it, increasing the options for anonymously reporting violence, increasing the number of school psychologists, providing training for teachers and offering media literacy as a subject – these are just some of the measures proposed by young people to institutions in the fight against violence.
High school students shared their perspectives at the inaugural youth forum, organized by the Union of High School Students of Montenegro with support from UNICEF and the EU. The forum aims to generate concrete proposals from young people for the Working Group of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, which is developing a five-year Strategy for the Protection of Children against and Prevention of Violence.
General secondary school student Anja Vojvodic notices the existence of almost all forms of violence in her surroundings: physical, verbal and online violence.
People who are not affected by violence often discuss it, while those who are tend to keep silent. There is much that goes unsaid.
She believes that young people are afraid to report violence, believing it will escalate or that no one will understand them. She also identifies a problem with the school system, where certain students are often labelled as “troublesome”.
“Children believed to have a problem are usually sent to a pedagogue or psychologist. It is overlooked that others also face challenges and need support,” Anja says.
She advocates for education as the solution: “Continuously educating ourselves and others, explaining prevention methods, understanding our rights and obligations, and having more conversations about violence.”
A member of the Board of the Union of High School Students, Pavle Djurovic, highlights the issue of sexual violence.
Victims of sexual violence are ashamed to speak out, as it is taboo. Sexual violence is extensively on social media.
Therefore, he is convinced that there must exist some form of control on social media. “We should not encounter such content from the youngest age. Children get mobile phones at very early age and can access such content,” Pavle explains.
According to him, more effective solutions must be pursued to address the issue of violence than those currently being employed by schools.
“Transferring to another class or another school does not necessarily result in an improvement,” Pavle points out.
He expects that the ideas shared by high school students at the forum will be taken into consideration during development of the new Strategy for the Protection of Children against and Prevention of Violence.
Jelena Raicevic, an advisor in the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, emphasized that all the issues young people raise at the forum are important to institutions.
We are developing this strategy for children and young people so that they can grow up in a safer environment. The Strategy has a dual focus – one is on prevention, and the other is on fostering a multidisciplinary approach in responding to violence and protecting those who have experienced any form of it.
The Working Group of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, entrusted with developing the five-year Strategy, also includes representatives from the health and education sectors, the Institute for Social and Child Protection and NGOs.
The Union of High School Students, supported by UNICEF and the EU, will continue to organize similar forums and discussions, providing space for children and young people to express their views and participate in developing and implementing policies and strategies that concern them.
