The position of persons with disabilities (PWD) in Montenegro is well regulated by law, but it is necessary to ensure its implementation, it was assessed at the conference on employment of this population.
The Executive Director of the Association of Disabled Youth of Montenegro (UMHCG), Marina Vujačić, said that the Montenegrin law is one of the best in the region and the overall guarantee of the right to work and employment for the disabled.
"Nevertheless, the largest employers of PWDs are still non-governmental organizations, especially PWD organizations, which represents their segregation on the labor market, which results in the slowing down or impossibility of advancement of these persons and society as a whole," Vujačić said.
She explained that a large number of PWDs are forced to perform occupations that are not in accordance with their educational profile.
"In this sense, the employment of PWDs largely depends on their education, but also accessibility and support services," concluded Vujacic.
The President of the Committee for European Integration, Slaven Radunović, said that there is a big gap between theory and practice.
"Only the adoption of laws and the opening of chapters is not enough to improve the status of PWDs, but it is necessary to make strong social changes that will contribute to the improvement of the everyday life of citizens," he said.
Radunović assessed that the architectural accessibility of public institutions should primarily be improved, the percentage of PWDs who complete secondary and higher education and the employment rate of those persons and their inclusion in social life should be increased.
"Statistics show that the employment rate of PWDs is up to 50 percent lower than those without disabilities," said Radunović.
He believes that Montenegro has progressed in a normative sense by ratifying the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and passing laws.
"However, at the level of application of legal regulations in the context of employment, the situation still remains worrisome," concluded Radunović.
State Secretary for European Integration and chief negotiator, Aleksandar Andrija Pejović, said that the conference was organized the day before Europe Day for a reason, because, he believes, it is necessary to celebrate responsibility for the most vulnerable groups of society.
"European values, including this one, are guaranteed by the most important treaties and legal acts of the European Union (EU) and discrimination on the basis of disability is expressly prohibited," explained Pejović.
According to him, the two basic directives in the negotiation process are the directive on racial discrimination and equal employment.
"They apply to the field of employment and occupation, access to employment, working conditions, including wages and dismissal, professional training and membership in the organization," Pejović explained.
As he stated, when it comes to the field of justice, out of 33 negotiation chapters, 14 refer to PWD issues.
Pejović announced that the new law on the prohibition of discrimination against PWDs, which the Government should establish in the second quarter of this year, should be an act that will send a strong message to the public that discrimination is unfair and must be eradicated.
"That law should guarantee future legislative and practical activities, the basis for a social model for solving the problems of PWDs," concluded Pejović.
Director of the Employment and Labor Market Directorate in the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare, Edina Dešić Perazić, said that progress has been made in that area, but that there is still work to be done.
"The law on professional rehabilitation and employment of PWDs did not take root in practice as we had hoped, so MRSS plans to amend it," said Dešić Perazić.
The protector of human rights and freedoms, Šućko Baković, believes that it is necessary to additionally strengthen the function of the state, society and its resources in order to find a way, not to recognize rights, because they are recognized by the fact of birth.
"Deeds, deeds, not words," said Baković.
He recalled the competence of the ombudsman in that area, which is to point out, warn, criticize, propose or recommend which, according to Baković, are sometimes neglected in relation to the so-called or classic recognized functions of the institution.
"It is necessary for us to cooperate and be familiar with the problems of the PWD," he concluded.
The head of the political sector, European integration and trade in the Delegation of the European Union (EU) in Montenegro, Alberto Kamarata, assessed that the inclusion of PWDs is crucial for the member state.
"No policy in this area can be effective without PWDs, because they have experience," Kamarata believes.
According to him, accessibility is a prerequisite for exercising the rights of those persons.
"The quality of a democratic society can be measured by the participation of vulnerable groups, especially PWDs. There is no integration without inclusion," Kamarata concluded.
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