The prosecution must have more initiative in the investigation of reported cases of failure to pay alimony, said Maja Raičević, executive director of the Center for Women's Rights, stating that more than 40 women with this problem reported to that non-governmental organization last year.
She said that failure to pay alimony is a big problem in Montenegro and one of the main causes of poverty for children living with one parent.
"The cause of the problem lies partly in the insufficient efficiency of the judiciary and the prosecution in quickly solving these cases, because in practice we encounter alimony disputes that last for several years," Raičević told the MINA agency.
According to her, although the economic situation in the country is difficult, she does not consider this to be the main cause of this problem, because, as she stated, if a parent is able to create basic living conditions for himself, he should be able to create at least that much for his children as well. your child.
"That's why I think it's about irresponsibility and carelessness towards children, but also the tendency to, traditionally, shift the responsibility for taking care of the offspring to the woman," Raičević said.
As she stated, more than 40 women who are facing this problem contacted the Center for Women's Rights, stating that they provided free legal aid and representation in court to most of them, and, she added, they will continue to do so in the future.
"In its work, the prosecution must have more initiative when it comes to investigating reported cases, especially when it comes to court decisions that are enforceable. Also, it must cooperate more effectively with the labor inspection and financial institutions," Raičević believes.
She assessed that the state should establish an Alimony Fund from which, as she stated, alimony would be paid regularly and thereby reduce the economic vulnerability of children and single parents.
"On the other hand, the debtor would settle his obligations towards the state, which, I'm sure, would have a positive effect on the speed and efficiency of court proceedings. This would relieve the state budget of part of the material benefits for the socially vulnerable population, but also part of the costs of free legal aid." Raicevic said.
Speaking about the representation of women in parliament, she stated that 30 percent is the minimum standard, reminding that Montenegro received unequivocal messages from numerous European addresses that it must ensure greater political participation of women, through the adoption of a legal solution that was presented to the Working Group for Construction confidence in the electoral process.
"As things currently stand, the solution is mentioned that every fourth place on the list belongs to the less represented gender, i.e. women, which is just an attempt to avoid for the second time a solution that will bring about an actual increase in the number of women in decision-making positions," Raičević warned.
She pointed out that Montenegro has fewer women in politics than all the countries in the region, although, as she stated, it is considered a pioneer of European integration.
"It is solely a matter of lack of political will and unwillingness to enable women to participate more actively in public life, and thus a better position in society, because all other prerequisites exist," Raičević believes.
"Already at the end of February, with the Association of Judges of Montenegro, and with the support of the American Embassy, we plan to train lawyers to represent victims of domestic violence," she announced.
Speaking about the latest study on violence against women and domestic violence, which showed that 92 percent of respondents believe that this type of violence exists in Montenegro, she said that the research clearly shows that even the number of reported cases does not reflect the actual situation and that the victims violence, as she stated, most often hide that problem.
"This happens because of fear, a feeling of helplessness, economic and other dependence on abusers, but also a lack of trust in the work of institutions that must be ready to recognize violence and provide support to victims already at the first contact," said Raičević.
She reminded that the current Law on Protection from Domestic Violence obliges all institutions, including health, educational, social and other services, to report suspected violence, but, as she said, this usually does not happen.
Raičević believes that in order to reduce the number of incidents of violence against women and in the family, it is "only" necessary to apply the legal regulations and protocols governing the area.
"The state must provide the conditions for their application, which means a coordinated approach and inter-institutional cooperation, a sufficient number of services for victims, as well as financial support for victims of violence. It is crucial that the focus of the institutions' work is trust in the testimony of the victim, which is still not the case ", she specified.
Raičević said that the Center for Women's Rights will continue to provide free psychological counseling, legal assistance and representation before institutions to women, and continue with, as she stated, monitoring the application of laws in the area of violence against women and domestic violence.
"Already at the end of February, with the Association of Judges of Montenegro, and with the support of the American Embassy, we plan to train lawyers to represent victims of domestic violence," she announced.
Raičević said that the Center provided funding for most of the activities, while one part, as she explained, is done through volunteer contributions.
"Everything is from foreign donations, because we did not receive funds from games of chance at the Competition for either of the two projects applied for. So it turns out that a small female NGO donates to the state through taxes, contributions and the services it provides, instead of the state financing our activities that , in addition to benefiting the community, partially compensate for the obligations of the state in accordance with national and international laws," she concluded.
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