International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women in focus of OSCE-organized press conference in Podgorica

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was in focus of the press conference organized by the OSCE Mission and its partners on 25 November 2015 in Podgorica, which marked the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism campaign against gender-based violence in Montenegro.

As part of this campaign, the OSCE Mission will support training courses in five Montenegrin municipalities for teams fighting gender-based violence.

“Montenegro is systematically approaching solution of this problem on both levels – prevention and response to gender-based violence,” said Dan Redford, Deputy Head of the OSCE Mission to Montenegro. “The system of protection for victims in a sustainable and efficient way requires further development, including defining of clearer strategic goals”.

Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Zorica Kovačević, noted that multi-disciplinary approach is of crucial importance and that the recent launch of the SOS line demonstrated that in the best possible way. “The Strategy for Protection against Family Violence has been prepared and will be discussed at the next government session.”

Minister of Human and Minority Rights Suad Numanović reiterated the need for additional efforts by institutions in order to stop gender-based violence, not only during the campaign, but also throughout the year.   

Chair of the parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality Nada Drobnjak informed that at the initiative of the Committee Podgorica Declaration, a document aimed against gender-based violence, was signed earlier on the same day.

The 16 Days of Activism against gender violence is an international campaign that started on 25 November and will last until 10 December that marks International Human Rights Day. Since 1991, more than 3,700 organizations in 164 countries have participated in the campaign. The campaigns in Montenegro have been organized with the OSCE support since 2007.