Jelušić: Montenegro must not be a society in which violence is an acceptable norm in any way

In Montenegro, it is necessary to improve the existing legal regulations and adequately categorize victims of violence, as well as find a way to sanction hate speech and verbal violence to which women are increasingly exposed on social networks, it was ordered at the session of the Women's Parliament.

The president of the Parliamentary Committee for Gender Equality, Božena Jelušić, said that on the global map of violence against women, Montenegro is not among the worst, but not among the best, and that it is extremely important that the Parliament as an institution permanently sends a clear message about zero tolerance to violence.

As she said, Montenegro must not be a society in which violence is an acceptable norm in any way.

"Unfortunately, in our community of systemic injustice of the patriarchy, violence against women and girls still belongs to quite hidden and stigmatized topics that are rarely, reluctantly or clumsily talked about, precisely because it is based on a patriarchal culture," said Jelušić.

Jelušić said that the four femicides that took place in Montenegro last year showed the inability of institutions to prevent violence adequately.

"We remain a community where femicides occur, and what's worse, where it's normal to express a preference for male offspring, and we still have selective abortions," said Jelušić.

According to her, reporting violence, informing and supporting institutions are the first steps towards its prevention.

"If we remain silent about violence, we allow women and girls to continue to live as victims. That is why it is necessary for the Parliament to clearly show the political will to end every form of violence against women," added Jelušić.

She said that the legal framework in Montenegro is good, but the fact is that it is not enough and that what is written in the law is sometimes not present in practice.

Jelušić emphasized that the Parliament, as the legislative branch of government, is obliged to do everything in order to change the situation, especially since the new era, the era of digitalization, imposes new forms of violence.

"In the digital environment, where everyone allows themselves to say anything, women are most often the victims. It does not shy away from violence against women in political and social life, and even the possibility of creating diplomatic scandals. "Such examples should be sanctioned most seriously, and in the media sphere, solutions should be sought for the punishment of this type of violence and its prevention," said Jelušić.

Assembly President Danijela Đurović said that gender-based violence is one of the most serious forms of human rights violations.

The coronavirus pandemic, during which the number of cases of violence increased significantly, according to Đurović, showed that the home is not a safe place for victims of violence, additionally weakened by their economic and social position.

She said that violence costs money and that the whole society pays its price.

"It causes huge costs for the community, for public welfare, health and safety, as well as for education, productivity, law enforcement, and public programs and budgets," Đurović added. She said that violence costs the state of Montenegro EUR 9,2 million.

"Unreported violence with consequences amounts to EUR 233,2 million, which is a significantly higher amount than the institutional costs of remediation and prevention of further violence through the actions of institutions," said Đurović.

Such figures, as she said, cause concern, especially taking into account the frequent accidental femicides that have occurred in Montenegro in the recent period.

"They are calling us to review the existing support systems, both the legislative framework and its application through the established institutional network and prevention system. We have to reevaluate our actions in order to correct all perceived deficiencies," said Đurović.

She said that unreserved support must be given to the implementation of the Istanbul Convention, the preservation of women's acquired rights and the fight for their advancement, where they have not yet succeeded.

"In Montenegro, it is necessary to improve the existing legal regulations and adequately categorize victims of violence in all laws and by-laws that deal with this issue," Đurović assessed.

As she added, greater attention must be paid to vulnerable groups who, in addition to violence, suffer multiple forms of discrimination, ensure the appropriate distribution of human and financial resources for policy measures and regulations aimed at preventing and suppressing violence against women.

"Also, ensure the full implementation of disciplinary measures against officials who do not perform their duties and the end of the practice of alternative resolution of family disputes with a history of domestic violence, as well as the introduction of a comprehensive risk assessment," said Đurović.

She believes that it is necessary to increase the level of public awareness of violence against women and in the family through a better level of public information about the causes and consequences of violence, as well as the existing mechanisms of protection against violence.

"For an effective response, we must act together. It's time to realize that all inequalities encourage and perpetuate family violence and that we are all responsible for eradicating it," said Đurović.

The Vice-President of the Assembly, Branka Bošnjak, said that four femicides took place in Montenegro last year and emphasized that the victims warned and informed the state authorities about the threats.

"So the system failed. We did not create a system that should protect, but I have the feeling that male solidarity often happens with those who commit violence, and not with the victims. We have to change that," said Bošnjak.

She said that during the past year, verbal violence against women was more dominant than physical violence, which is sometimes more intense and harder to endure.

"You saw how much hate speech there was during the last year against all women in public life, not only politicians. Everything is allowed on social networks and comments on the electronic media, and this type of violence has a great effect on the psyche, because it is read by someone's children, the public. These days, female ambassadors who clearly express their views have become targets. There is no condemnation of the system for such things," Bošnjak said.

She believes that the legal regulations must be changed, femicide must be prescribed as a criminal offense, and a way must be found to stop hate speech and verbal violence.

Protector of human rights and freedoms, Siniša Bijeković, said that all indicators point to a worrying constant trend of violence against women.

As he stated, this phenomenon is often viewed through the prism of domestic violence and it is forgotten that women are targeted as public figures, holders of important state and social functions or those who raise their voices contributing to a discussion of wider public interest.

"Every time she shows the strength of a social being, often greater than that possessed by the other sex, a woman becomes the target of misogyny, harassment, insults, threats. In short, different forms of violence manifested sometimes with the most brutal and even fatal outcome", said Bjeković.

As he added, the change of roles and theses, according to which the victim is also the culprit, is of particular concern because it does not agree with the terror of our misconceptions about women as less useful and less equal, which does not turn a blind eye to the truth.

Bjeković said that the number of annual cases before courts of different jurisdictions is not decreasing, and that sanctions still do not produce the desired results.

"We are still analyzing all the causes, but they certainly start from the legislation with a symbolic sanction for the basic form of misdemeanor to the unclear distinction between this delict and domestic violence as a criminal offense," noted Bjeković.

He believes that the strategic documents have not been properly implemented, "and that the civil sector is sending serious signals that the last hour has long since ticked and that we are increasingly dealing with the consequences".

"That's why today and here I once again call for decisive action in order to promote the rights and protection of victims, and even more so for intensified work on the prevention and elimination of violence against women at the first signs of the existence of a risk. Otherwise, it seems to me that, as many times before, we will be trotting through the laws for the missing social foundation", said Bjeković.

According to him, the most important thing is the elimination of stereotypes and prejudices that violence against women is a private matter of individuals and the exclusive responsibility of the prosecuting authorities.

That, Bjeković added, would be another of our misconceptions that can cost many women dearly.

"I hope that this next minute and every next minute will not be time spent in vain, with the wish that there will be no violence or that there will be as little as possible, I warn that hatred towards anyone, and especially towards women, is not a mentally healthy state of being," said Bjeković.

The head of the OSCE mission in Montenegro, Dominik Vag, said that violence against women remains a serious problem at the global level, and that awareness of the fight against it is growing.

"Harassment and hate speech against women are on the rise, and more subtle forms of violence, such as psychological, economic, high-tech, are not given enough attention despite the degree of damage they can cause to victims," ​​said Vag.

She said that the best way to protect women and girls is to recognize that violence permeates all segments of society and that it is not a private and vicious matter.

Vag stated that research has shown that the main cause of violence against women lies in inequalities between men and women, as well as that one in five women has experienced physical or sexual violence at least once in their life.

She said that most violence against women is of a physical nature, which is the most severe type, but that a recent survey, commissioned by the OSCE mission in cooperation with the Safe House for Women, showed that a third of the respondents experienced at least one form of psychological violence.

"It was surprising that more than half of the victims did not report it, while only a third contacted the family," Vag added.

As she stated, there is still victim blaming in Montenegro, and people who have survived violence often feel isolated and stigmatized.

Vag pointed out that the parliament has a key role in the implementation of the framework documents ratified by Montenegro and that the members of parliament should assess how each law affects women and men.