Every fifth woman in Montenegro has been a victim of violence during the past 12 months, and the coronavirus pandemic has shown the necessity of a systemic approach and an open dialogue about society's joint response to violence, and especially the necessity of full integration of women's non-governmental organizations that provide support to women victims of violence in system, it was ordered at the strategic dialogue of representatives of UNDP, the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare and women's non-governmental organizations.
The dialogue was held today as part of the project "Applying the Law, Changing Attitudes", financed by the European Union and implemented by UN Women, with the aim of stopping gender-based discrimination and violence against women, with a special focus on the most marginalized groups of women, in six countries of the Western Balkans and Turkey.
They also discussed the status of women's non-governmental organizations in the social protection system, with a focus on the position of licensed providers of specialized services for victims of violence, as well as strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare in the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and the provision of services to victims of gender-based violence, it is stated. in the statement.
Daniela Gašparikova, permanent representative of UNDP in Montenegro, pointed out that violence against women is the most extreme manifestation of gender inequality and the most frequent violation of women's human rights with serious consequences not only for women, but for society as a whole.
"In Montenegro, one out of three women has experienced violence during their lifetime, and one out of five in the last 12 months, while trust in institutions is low - 74 percent of victims of sexual violence have never told anyone," she said.
She pointed out that this violence also has financial consequences, as shown by the results of UNDP research, that violence against women costs the state budget up to 0,5 percent of GDP or about 18 million euros due to weakened work productivity or the absence of victims of violence from work.
"Unfortunately, the coronavirus pandemic has shown that the home is not the safest place for women victims of violence, which is why UNDP supported non-governmental organizations in establishing 24-hour support for victims of violence, including the creation of the application "Be safe", through which they can with one click ask for help and support," Gašparikova said.
She pointed to the necessity of developing sustainable and long-term funding models for women's non-governmental organizations that provide support to women victims of violence, in accordance with the best European practices that rely on close cooperation and trust between women's NGOs, centers for social work and the police.
Milojko Spajić, Minister of Finance and Social Welfare, said that they are aware of the fact that more concrete steps need to be taken in order for the problem they discussed today to be systematically and completely solved, especially, as he said, bearing in mind our mentality that is based on numerous historical occasions and events that affected the country.
"I know how far Montenegro has come since 2000, when domestic violence was considered an act against public order and peace, until the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and its entry into force in August 2014. The Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare is ready to provide full support to everyone, and through the future work of the Coordination Committee for monitoring the Istanbul Convention, I will monitor the work of all institutions and insist on multidisciplinary cooperation, as well as cooperation with the non-governmental sector," he pointed out.
Ljiljana Raičević, president of the NGO Safe Women's House, recalled that the first women's NGO in Montenegro was founded in 1996, and that in 2000, under the leadership of this women's NGO, the first shelter for victims of trafficking in the Southeast was opened in Montenegro. Europe.
She thanked UNDP, which, as she said, recognized the role and efforts of members of women's non-governmental organizations, who have been working almost on a volunteer basis for years.
According to Biljana Zeković, executive director of the Sos telephone for women and children victims of violence in Podgorica, support for the further work of women's NGOs is extremely important for the state of Montenegro.
"If we calculate how much our volunteer work costs, we arrive at the figure that just volunteering and being on call for years on SOS phones is worth more than 10 million euros. The work of women's NGOs is of national interest, because we are doing the work of the state and other employees in institutions, so I am not criticizing their work, I am already pointing out that the state system cannot cover all the needs of citizens and reach the target groups that NGOs can reach," she said.
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