Bosniak: It is urgent to establish a Women's Club of the new convocation of the Assembly

The vice-president of the Movement for Change, Branka Bošnjak, called for the "urgent establishment" of the Women's Club of the new convocation of the Parliament of Montenegro.

Bosniak, who was the first female vice-president of the Assembly, said that "in these days of the fight against violence against women", she calls on the deputies of the new Assembly "to urgently establish a Women's Club and continue where we left off".

"We live in a time where women, together, regardless of party affiliation and ideological differences, must contribute to changing the overall environment for the benefit of women and children," she added.

"The Women's Club of the previous parliamentary convocation was recognized as a positive example. Despite constant political instability and various challenges, we showed, as members of the Club, that we can and should work together, and managed to be active and by consensus come to many legal solutions that improved Montenegrin society. We put emphasis on the things that unite us, and they are much more than those that separate us, and success was guaranteed. That was the "magic" formula. The results we achieved in just two years of existence are impressive." it is stated in the announcement.

He pointed out that thanks to the Women's Club, it was easier to get passports and cross the border for children entrusted to the care of one parent, that the Law on Temporary Child Support was adopted and the Alimony Fund was established.

"The Law on Medically Assisted Fertilization was significantly improved and the number of attempts at state expense was increased to six, not only for married and cohabiting partners, but also for women who do not live in a married or cohabiting union and who have problems becoming mothers, and enabled and men to have one attempt at the treatment of male infertility using the "Micro TESE" method at the state's expense. We have also succeeded in raising the age limit for women for free attempts at medically assisted fertilization to 50. We have also managed to make it possible for those suffering from a malignant disease or other more serious diseases whose treatment requires the use of therapies that will lead to infertility, and they do not have children, the preservation of fertility is enabled by one of the adequate methods for a period of five to ten years or longer, in accordance with medical indications and the proposal of the profession," the announcement reads.

Bošnjak said that the amendments to the Criminal Code initiated by the Women's Club "established a register of pedophiles and significantly increased the penalties for crimes against sexual freedom against minors and introduced measures of special supervision after the sentence has been served, which includes a ban on access to places where children gather , such as schools, playgrounds, regular reporting to the police, visits to professional counseling centers, as well as the employer's obligation to check whether the person is in the records of the perpetrator of these acts when hiring in positions that involve working with children".

"Thanks to the Women's Club, legal prerequisites were created and half a million euros were provided in the Budget for the start of construction of the building that will house the Human Milk Bank, the Manifesto against violence against women in politics was signed with partner organizations, a series of round tables were organized on current topics that regarding the position of women, with our partners a strong media campaign "What would you do in my place" was carried out with the aim of suppressing violence in the online space to which politically active women in Montenegro are exposed (every day), an exhibition of painters was organized on the topic of awakening women's consciousness. , the announcement states.

She assessed that the Women's Club had "continuous and intensive partnership cooperation with the international community and the civil sector".

"We were loud and strongly condemned every attack on women in public and political life, regardless of who it came from. Recognizing our success and activism, the Women's Club was praised in the last two reports of the European Commission on the progress of Montenegro in the EU integration process, as an example of how we can contribute to the betterment of our society together," it added.

She said that she was looking forward to the completion of the scientific project Women in Montenegrin Patriarchal Culture 1879-1918, "as a result of decades of work by ethnologist and archivist Slavka Jovićević, which the Women's Club significantly helped".

"For the first time, "from a woman's pen", we will have the opportunity to get to know how our ancestors lived at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century," Bošnjak says.

She said that due to the shortened mandate of the Assembly, "a lot of things remained unfinished, and what we started or had planned to initiate, such as changes to a set of laws aimed at suppressing underage arranged marriages that are finished and ready to be put into the procedure, and the promotion Act on Protection from Domestic Violence and much more".

"That's why I appeal to the deputies of the new convocation to form a Women's Club as soon as possible and actively start implementing projects that will improve the position of women and show that they, as our representatives in the Assembly, are our support but also an example and a guide to all those women who are becoming aware, and they understand that they should be active, have their own position and fight for equality and presence in decision-making places," concluded Bošnjak.