Montenegro has progressed when it comes to respecting children's rights, and peer and family violence represent an increasingly pronounced problem, said the executive director of the Center for Children's Rights, Rajka Perović.
On the occasion of International Children's Day, which is celebrated on June 1, she said that it cannot yet be said that Montenegro has reached the standards prescribed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
"If we look at the level of awareness of how much children know about their rights, I must say that this awareness is much higher than before," said Perović in an interview with the PR Center.
According to her, in the part of education, more significant education of the teaching staff and a different approach to the child was recorded.
"It used to be a subject to whom knowledge had to be transferred, now it is done differently with children because children are in a different social environment and their requirements are completely different," said Perović.
She said that there are still a large number of children in classes in city schools, while in the north of Montenegro there are classes with a small number of students.
"We note that we need new school space, to relieve the burden on schools, that we need constant education of teachers and professors, that the teacher-student relationship needs to be changed because it is not at its best, and that teaching needs to be made more creative," Perović believes.
She pointed out that there are a large number of families in Montenegro who are in a state of social need, and that, as she reminded, every tenth child is in a state of social need and poverty.
"It is evident that the civil sector provides service support to the greatest extent and that all the services that are established prove to be good," said Perović.
When asked what are the key failings of institutions when it comes to children's rights, Perović said that families do not have adequate support.
"It's more something that the civil sector deals with, than the institutions, and if and when they deal with it, it's quite formal, and what we as an organization are dealing with is against that formalism, decoration and manipulation," she said. .
Perović stated that there are about 369 families in Montenegro as foster families, stating that the Center for Children's Rights works with only a number of these families located in Podgorica.
"We have 15 families in the club of foster parents. We do not have the spatial capacity to provide support to a larger number of foster families. This program has shown results and I'm sorry that it is not developed in some other municipalities," she said.
Perović reminded that the capital has provided two housing units for children leaving the Mladost Children's Home, and that there are currently two people in it, who are being worked with by professional associates.
"We have the practice that already four users are functioning independently, so this project is expanding in Bijelo Polje as well," she said.
Perović assessed that peer and family violence is an increasingly pronounced problem.
"The reasons are manifold, and what is evident is that children spend little quality time with their family and that this leaves problems for the children. Their free time is not well organized, they spend a lot of time on the computer," she said.
Perović said that the Center is currently working on recording the situation when it comes to children's rights.
"We will work during the year with parents and children on the topic of respecting children, so that the research will be analyzed later as an integral part of our report for the Committee," she stated.
Perović said that the Center will continue to work with the club of foster parents, as well as to support the housing service.
"We will apply with the project for children who are in the process of migration. We will try to create a cultural and educational center where children would gather," she concluded.
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