Gender perspective in legislative drafting focus of OSCE seminar with parliamentarians

Ensuring a gender perspective in legislative drafting was the topic of an OSCE-supported two-day seminar, organized with the support of the parliamentary Gender Equality Committee for the expert service of the parliament of Montenegro, as well as for parliamentarians on 20 and 21 June in Podgorica.

Seven Members of Parliament (MPs) and 25 members of the parliamentary expert service discussed how to introduce and institutionalize a gender perspective inthe legislativedevelopment process, step by step. Participants examined a case study from the European Parliament (EP) on developing a legislative resolutionto balance parental rights in business and private life.

Gender expert Karolina Leaković, a participant in the seminar, reflected that the discussion generated by the examination of this case study demonstrated that the MPs understood and were committed to the inclusion of men in promoting gender equality policies in Montenegro.

“We dealt with the EP resolution concerning the introduction of a mandatory paternity leave in the EU and candidate countries, and we saw how MPs are interested in balancing private and professional issues, and involving family to a greater extent than before. Their dedication is encouraging and I hope that in the legislative process, there will an opportunity to tackle this issue,” said Leaković.

“The issue of gender equality should be dealt withless as an academic endeavour and more as a practical life theme. We strive to achieve equality in the full sense and the parliament has already begun to go in this direction,” said Miodrag Vuković, MP and Chairman of the Constitution Committee.

MP Anka Vukićevićsaid that seminar provided useful information regarding women’s rights in the field of labour. “A few days ago, there was a discussion in the parliament about the mental health of children in Montenegro, which was led primarily by women, meaning that care of the family and health of children is still a ‘women’s issue’,” said Vukićević. She recommended that,as a good practice for future workshops, the participants identify shortcomings in safeguarding gender equality and report on what steps were made in the interim to address such shortcomings.

The two-day training was an activity to raise awareness of gender equality and promote gender mainstreaming as envisaged by the Action Plan for a Gender Sensitive Parliament, which was developed and adopted by the Gender Committee with the support of the Mission and the OSCE Office on Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.