Candidate for the President of Montenegro, Draginja Vuksanović, visited the Safe Women's House in Podgorica today. In a conversation with Ljiljana Raičević, director of the Safe Women's House, she discussed the conditions in which they work today and the role of the state in combating the problem of domestic violence, according to the announcement.
"Today I visited the Safe Women's House, where Mrs. Raičević welcomed me as warmly and motherly as she welcomes every woman who visits this house. I am proud that Podgorica has such a refuge for women in need, but I am defeated by the fact that we need it at all", said Vuksasnović.
She stated that she was defeated by the attitude that the Montenegrin government has towards women, who are a pillar of our society, and announced that it is time for the state to finally start treating them in a motherly and not a stepmotherly manner.
"The data that non-governmental organizations dealing with the protection of women's rights have been warning about for years are devastating, that every third woman in Montenegro is a victim of some form of violence. This happens, among other things, because of the lenient punishment policy, even though there is a mechanism to use harsher punishments", she stated.
One of the important problems cited by Vuksanović is the avoidance of alimony payments, which is a criminal offense, which this government does not treat with due care, because the state's inability to solve such an important social problem puts women at risk of poverty.
"There is no topic more important for urgent resolution than this one. That is why, as the first woman at the head of the state, I will very dedicatedly advocate for the establishment of an alimony fund so that the children of divorced parents can be provided with an existence".
Director of SŽK Ljiljana Raičević stated that for the Safe Women's House, and for her in particular, this is a historic day regardless of the outcome of the election.
"She remains inscribed in the history of Montenegro as the first woman to run for this high office. I have been calling for years, begging, and hoping that in my lifetime a woman will govern Montenegro, a brave, smart, eloquent, favorite among students and simply a woman who knows what she wants and a woman who has built herself up, who has created her own your image and career without a blemish in your life. We from the Safe Women's House are especially delighted today because it was not our initiative, but Draginja's initiative to come and we saw that she is really familiar, she has followed our work, she knows what the problems are. She mentioned alimony, she mentioned stalking, which are really big problems, and one of the biggest problems is that mild punishment. We will hold her to her word, as for me, I support her with all my heart, I will vote for Draginja, and I also think that women's organizations should make a statement," Raičević said.
She added that for 22 years there has been talk about the fact that there are few women in high positions, and that at this moment there is a great opportunity for women to show solidarity and come out and vote for a woman who will be president for the first time in the history of Montenegro.
"I congratulate you in advance", concluded Raičević at the end.
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