As many as three murders of a child in a family have been recorded in Montenegro since February, and reports in the media about violence against a seven-year-old child are an alarm for the entire society, UNICEF warned.
"Violence against children must not be tolerated and it is the responsibility of every individual to stop and report it, as well as the state and society to ensure the protection of every child from all forms of violence, abuse and neglect. The child's right to survival, life and development is one of the four basic of the principles of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Montenegro has ratified. The cases of violence against children that have been reported in the media in the last year represent a flagrant violation of the rights of children guaranteed by the Convention, but also by the Constitution and laws of Montenegro," UNICEF said.
As they add, UNICEF supports Montenegro's efforts to create a protective environment for every child in which laws are applied that clearly define the obligation of preventive action, reporting and protection of every child from violence.
"Every ministry, institution, sector, public or non-governmental, as well as every individual (neighbor, relative, friend, colleague, schoolmate) has the duty and obligation to contribute to this goal. This is what the campaign Let's stop violence against children, which UNICEF implements it in partnership with the Government of Montenegro and other partners in the country. In order to stop violence, it is necessary to work on its prevention first. Parents in crisis need support."
They state that the existing services and interventions in the health, social and child protection, education and justice sectors must be additionally strengthened and made available to all citizens.
"Examples are regular home visits and support for families at risk, social assistance for the vulnerable, parenting programs (schools), mental health protection services, counseling, including through telephone lines (parental line, children's line, SOS line, etc.) and 24-hour readiness of all sector to provide urgent and immediate intervention and protection. A child at risk, witness or victim of violence must know at all times where and to whom they can turn and receive full support and protection in one place. This is the reason why UNICEF insists on strengthening multisectoral cooperation and empowering citizens and children to seek protection of their rights. We appeal to all citizens, experts and institutions to work unitedly to build a society in which every child will grow up safely in a warm family environment," concludes the UNICEF statement.
Bonus video:
