The key to the problem lies in emotional abuse, i.e. the fact that victims of abuse get the impression that they are to blame, which leads to fear of condemnation from the environment, and finally not reporting, said Bozena Jelušić, president of the Committee for Gender Equality at the discussion "We raise our voice for those who I can't do that - justice for victims of sexual violence" organized by non-governmental organizations LGBT Forum Progres and LGBTIQ Social Center.
The event was dedicated to the presentation of testimonies and experiences of victims of violence collected by journalist Ivona Drobnjak.
Drobnjak launched an initiative on her social networks, asking women to anonymously share their experiences with sexual violence. She read to the audience tens of hundreds of messages she received, which indicate the systemic problem of sexual violence and the lack of reporting of these incidents.
The event was attended by Bozena Jelušić, who believes that the problem of violence must be expanded for all victims, regardless of whether they are men or women. She believes that this problem has been going on for thousands of years and that it stems from the relationship between those who have power and those who are subordinate.
He believes that it is necessary to problematize the question "Why didn't she report it earlier?", as well as why the issue of sexual violence was almost never on the agenda of political parties.
"The initiative represents a first-class social interest, and I hope that the increase in punishment and the visibility that the initiative brings to this problem will contribute to the discouragement of abusers and the overall reduction of cases. Any society that fights for sexual freedom will inevitably lead to a decrease in sexual violence," she said. she.
The discussion was also attended by the President of the Committee for Human Rights and Freedoms of the Parliament of Montenegro, Jovan Vučurović, who believes that not much has changed in practice, despite the fact that the Committee has long been involved in the promotion and improvement of the rights and protection of women and children.
"The issue of sexual abuse must not be a party issue, but the entire Montenegrin public must be involved, because it is about our citizens and our children. In this domain, I can speak as a father, not only as a member of parliament. I am aware of the fact that the topic is painful , but we are all simply obliged to take a concrete step in order to put an end to this problem in Montenegro," he said.
In order to get in the way of this problem, society and authorities must be alarmed, but as he says, "concrete action is needed".
"It is very important that what is being said here is also in penal policy, and that we, people's deputies are here, because the primary purpose and ideal of the parliamentary function is to protect the citizens of this country and, above all, our children. It is up to us to insist on the strictest penal policy ", believes Vučurović.
He is sure that the Committee he represents and he personally will do everything to monitor, suggest and propose changes to the laws in question, as well as their implementation. "You have my word here," he announced.
Moderator of the discussion, Bojana Jokić, the president of the Board of Directors of LGBT Forum Progres presented the initiative of non-governmental organizations LGBT Forum Progres and LGBTIQ Socijalni Centar, a comparative analysis of legislation and official information regarding prison sentences for sexual violence.
The fact that in the last 5 years a prison sentence has been imposed in only 14 cases when it comes to the criminal offense of Commitment with a child from Article 206 of the Criminal Code of Montenegro, and that the longest sentence imposed is 5 years in prison served as the legal basis for the initiative to introduce stricter penalties and changes members of the existing Criminal Code.
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