Far from a "social justice state"

On the occasion of February 20th, World Day of Social Justice

Social justice is the concept of the fair distribution of resources, opportunities, burdens and benefits within society, with the aim of ensuring equality, human rights and inclusion of all individuals. It encompasses access to education and health, fairness, respect for diversity and support for marginalized groups, often linked to the principles of economic redistribution and the reduction of inequality. The five basic principles of social justice are: 1. access to resources - which means that everyone has access to treatment, education and social protection; 2. that society helps individuals as much as they need, and not everyone equally; 3. inclusion - especially marginalized groups in community decision-making; 4. diversity - in terms of race, religion, nationality, gender, age and other criteria; 5. respect for human rights.

In 2007, the UN General Assembly declared February 20th as the World Day of Social Justice, the observance of which should contribute to the advancement of the international community's fight against poverty and the creation of a just society in all countries. US President Franklin Roosevelt, in his address to Congress in 1935, stated that "Americans should abandon the idea of ​​greedy accumulation of wealth, which leads to unjust distribution. Poor people cannot be free, and social justice must be a realistic goal, not a utopian ideal. Therefore, the main task of the state is to use its power to distribute resources in such a way as to eradicate poverty and hunger and to provide a stable source of funds, which will guarantee adequate living conditions for its citizens"...

I mention Roosevelt's speech for a reason, because presidents of countries with countless billionaires never think about social justice. After 90 years since the aforementioned speech, 25 years since the adoption of the UN Millennium Goals, 10 years since the adoption of the UN Sustainable Development Agenda... and many declarations and documents at the UN and EU levels, we can conclude that in the area of ​​social justice, at the global and national levels - nothing has changed.

Montenegro is, according to the Constitution, a "state of social justice", and all the ruling parties have done nothing to bring us closer to achieving this constitutional goal. The three-decade, former, ruling elite, in the darkness of transition and privatization, forgot that all citizens of Montenegro should live a life worthy of a human being. They governed the state "their way", not caring about the quality of life of citizens, as they themselves admitted.

We are the only country in the region that does not have a strategy to combat poverty, there is no precise data on the poor, the homeless, people with inadequate housing conditions, or without access to basic infrastructure (electricity, water, heating, etc.). There is no record of the number of unemployed people who are not registered with the Employment Agency of Montenegro, the number of citizens without any income, and much more. According to Monstat's estimate for 2024, 20 percent of citizens live below the poverty line, 25,6 percent of children under 17 are at risk of poverty, and 34,6 percent of children are at risk of poverty or social exclusion. If social benefits and pensions are excluded from transfers, the poverty risk rate would be 40,5 percent.

The union consumer basket for the fourth quarter of 2025 is 2.045 euros, which is more than two average salaries in Montenegro. According to official data from the Tax Administration, about 70 percent of employees receive up to 800 euros (vijesti.me). Family material security (MOP), after the January adjustment of 1,55 percent, amounts to 99,97 euros for one member, up to 190,10 euros for a family with five or more members. All "ES" programs have bypassed the beneficiaries of MOP and other social benefits. According to the 2023 census, we had 17.000 single parents, whose children are under 25 years old, of which more than 11.000 are single mothers. 55,7 percent of citizens cannot afford a seven-day vacation away from home, while 11 percent of them cannot afford at least 7 out of 13 basic items (heating, paying bills, replacing things in the house, etc.). In 2024, 16,8 percent of households stated that they make ends meet "with great difficulty". At the same time, we are witnessing the luxurious life of people in the upper strata of society, which is reflected, among other things, in the education of children abroad and numerous trips around the world, as evidenced by travel agencies, during and beyond numerous holidays...

Eurostat data shows that as many as 47,9 percent of Montenegrins cannot afford an unexpected financial expense, which puts our country, although not a member of the European Union, ahead of all EU members in this negative indicator. This percentage in the EU is 30 percent - the average (standard.co.me). According to the Data Pulse agency, Montenegro is among the countries where the average pension does not cover basic living expenses. Pensioners in our country record a deficit of 25 percent, which means that their average income is not enough to cover typical annual living expenses (bankar.me). Pensioners and all vulnerable segments of society have a pronounced problem of inaccessibility to health services, due to the devastated public health system and enormously expensive services in PZU. The January pension adjustment of 0,38 percent is humiliating for this large, vulnerable population!

If "a just society exists only when all citizens have the conditions to live with dignity from their work and equal opportunities to participate, without discrimination, in the social, economic, political and cultural life of the community...", the above figures testify to how stratified and far from social justice Montenegrin society is! With the growing trend of employment through political, family and other connections, tens of thousands of educated young people do not have time to wait for "a life from their work", but are temporarily or permanently saying goodbye to their homeland, leaving for the bright world in search of a living. Unfortunately, the authorities do not even have this record, which reflects their inattention to Montenegrin citizens, on whose behalf tens of thousands of privileged people are scheming in the upper strata of society. Forcing people from their homes is not only the height of injustice, but also a crime, and chasing the diaspora around the bright world, wanting to benefit from their hard-earned money, is hypocrisy!