Violence free society for every child

PODGORICA, 16 December 2022 – In Montenegro, more than three out of every five young children experience some form of violent discipline in their home. Offline and online peer violence are an additional challenge, as well as the need for better mental health support to prevent adolescent suicides, one of the top five causes of death of young people aged 10–19 globally. Weak inter-sector cooperation and underreporting of cases of violence, exploitation and abuse lead to a high prevalence of, as well as widespread societal tolerance towards, violence against children in Montenegro. For these reasons, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, with UNICEF’s technical and the EU’s financial support, will work on developing a National Strategy on Prevention and Protection of Children from Violence for the coming five-year period.

"Violence is today, unfortunately, an increasingly widespread phenomenon, from family violence, through violence on the street and in schools, to violence towards people who are different in some way. When children live surrounded by or are victims of domestic violence, they are exposed to trauma that will eventually develop into a permanent scar, with which they will have to struggle for the rest of their life. Our goal is to provide a safe and healthy environment for every child in which children can grow up happy and develop their capacities. The Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare will invest in the development and improvement of the future capacities of professionals working with children who are victims and witnesses of violence. Also, the issue of violence is not a problem of individuals, but of society as a whole, and our goal is to improve the support system for victims of violence. Investing in children's development and ensuring a safe and carefree upbringing will remain a priority of the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, because children are the future of our society," said the Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Admir Adrovic.

UNICEF reminds that prevention of and protection of children from all forms of violence, including online violence, is everyone’s responsibility. It is a multisector accountability that includes education system, social welfare, health, judiciary, police, the private sector, media, parents and local communities.

“Children learn what they see and live every day. If they experience violence at home, in school and in their local community and if they witness hate and offensive speech through the media, they grow up surrounded by a lack of respect and dialogue. As adults, we are responsible for setting good role models every day and in all settings – homes, schools, local communities, politics, sports, media, culture, etc. We are all responsible for building a healthy, respectful society for every child every day,” said Juan Santander, UNICEF Montenegro Representative.

UNICEF is calling for an increase in the number of child and family support outreach services, in the number of professionals in the centres for social work, as well as child psychologists and psychiatrists across the country. UNICEF is also calling for more opportunities for every child and parent to strengthen their socio-emotional skills for non-violent conflict resolution. The new national strategy is an opportunity to address these issues. For that to happen, adequate long-term financing of all the activities and services that will be part of the new strategy must be ensured. This strategy should be founded on and monitored according to data about the nature and scope of violence against children in Montenegro. For this reason, UNICEF is calling for additional efforts of various institutions to strengthen data collection on this issue.

The development of a national strategy to fight violence against children is also important for the EU accession process. Recent EU Reports identified violence against children as an issue of serious concern in the country.

“The EU has been following the implementation of the current national Strategy and will continue to do so with the new one, while supporting the relevant institutions. All societal efforts should be concentrated on respecting children’s rights and protecting them from violence. This is a moral imperative and an investment in the future of the country,” said EU Ambassador to Montenegro, Oana Cristina Popa.

The new national strategy against violence against children will be developed in consultation with all relevant institutions like the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Ministry of Education, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights and the Ministry of Interior. It will be developed and implemented in consultation with CSOs, the Ombudsperson’s Office, children, adolescents and parents.

This Strategy, as well as numerous activities aimed at strengthening the system for the prevention and protection of children from violence, will be implemented as part of a project funded by the EU, lasting 18 months.