Several hundred citizens of Pljevlja gathered yesterday in front of the building of the Center for Social Work in Pljevlja, asking the authorities not to separate the brother and sister who, after their mother abandoned them, were placed in a foster family in that city.
The protest was also attended by foster parents, who take care of two little ones and struggle to stay in their home. They previously adopted a boy from Beran who is now three and a half years old after he spent three years with them in a foster family, and on December 6, they submitted a request for the adoption of his one year and four months younger sister, whom they have also been caring for since her birth. .
The gathered citizens carried banners that read "Pljevlja for children", "Stop separating brother and sister", "I will not live without my brother, do not separate us from one flock"...
A breadwinner A.M. said that a meeting is scheduled for today at the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare, which will be attended by their lawyer.
The Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare announced yesterday that they have formed an expert team that will review the actions of all competent authorities in the case of the foster family in Pljevlja, and until the team's findings are made, all actions related to the case will be suspended.
Citizens said yesterday that they will radicalize the protests if the authorities try to separate the girl from her brother.
One of the citizens and a friend of the family Vanja Coguric he said that the people responsible from the Center for Social Work from Beran should have come to explain why this situation happened.
"It is inconceivable to me that in this day and age, where we should hang out as friends, someone would come and separate a brother and sister. The social worker from Beran who handled this case should tell what happened. I hope that this agony will be resolved quickly for the benefit of the children. These children receive a lot of love in the family, I guarantee that many people do not give their biological children as much love as they give these children", said Čogurić.
Director of the Pljeval Center for Social Work Branka Danilović she said that the Center and the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare take care of children.
"We gave two children to this family for foster care. I am happy to say that this is a family that has remained deeply in my memory, especially the first time we trusted them with a child. In this case, we immediately notified the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare, and they formed an expert team that will consider all the circumstances and decide who to entrust the children with. The team includes professionals, psychologists, and pedagogues, who will decide on the best interests of the children. I also told the adoptive parents who adopted this first child that we at the Center, and above all the Ministry that makes the adoption decision, will respect the interests of the child. So that the children are together and not separated, we also strictly took care of that," said Danilović.
She pointed out that the Center for Social Work from Beran, considering that the children are from that city, together with the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare makes a decision on entrusting the children.
"They are in contact with the Ministry and will surely make the right decision and take a good look at all the circumstances," said Danilović.
She said that the law specifies who can adopt a child.
"It must be a complete family with income and a thousand other things, but there are recommendations in terms of the European Convention on the Protection of Children's Rights to take care, if there is a possibility that the children will stay together, and our Ministry will take care of that. I think that the best interest of the child will be considered so that the brother and sister are not separated," Danilović said.
About 5.150 citizens have so far signed an online petition asking the Center for Social Work in Berane not to separate the brother and sister.
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