The new national strategy for the prevention and protection of children from violence should create opportunities for building a healthy and safe environment in which children will be able to grow up happy and develop their capacities.
This was announced by the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare (MRSS) and the representative offices of the European Union (EU) and UNICEF in Podgorica, which will develop a new national strategy for the next five years.
As they pointed out, more than 60 percent of children in Montenegro experience some form of violent discipline in their homes.
They pointed out that offline and online peer violence represent an additional challenge.
"Just like the need for better support for mental health in order to prevent adolescent suicides, which are one of the five leading causes of death for young people between the ages of ten and 19 in the world," the statement added.
It is stated that weak intersectoral cooperation and insufficient reporting of cases of violence, exploitation and abuse lead to their wide spread, as well as the high tolerance of society towards violence against children in Montenegro.
"For these reasons, MRSS, with the technical and financial support of UNICEF and the EU, will develop a new national strategy for the prevention and protection of children from violence for the next five years," the announcement says.
The Minister of Labor and Social Welfare, Admir Adrović, said that violence is an increasingly widespread phenomenon, from family violence to violence on the street, in schools, towards people who are different in some way.
"When a child lives surrounded by or is a victim of domestic violence, he is exposed to trauma that will eventually turn into a permanent scar that he will have to fight with for the rest of his life," said Adrović.
According to him, the goal is to provide a safe and healthy environment for every child in which they can grow up happy and develop their capacities.
"In the future, the Ministry of Labor and Social Welfare will invest in the development and improvement of professional capacities of professionals who work with children who are victims and witnesses of violence," said Adrović.
He pointed out that the issue of violence is not a problem of an individual, but of the entire society, and that the goal is to improve the support system for victims of violence.
"Investing in children's development and ensuring a safe and carefree upbringing will remain a priority of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, because children are the future of our society," said Adrović.
UNICEF reminded that the prevention and protection of children from all forms of violence, including online violence, is everyone's responsibility.
As they said, it is the responsibility of a number of sectors, which includes the education system, social and child protection, health, justice, police, private sector, media, parents and local communities.
The head of the UNICEF representative office in Montenegro, Juan Santander, said that children learn from what they see and experience every day.
"If they experience violence at home, at school and in their local community, and if they witness hate and offensive speech in the media, they grow up surrounded by a lack of respect and dialogue," said Santander.
He said that adults have the responsibility to be good role models every day and in every environment - at home, in schools, local communities, politics, sports, media, culture.
"We all bear the responsibility of building a healthy society that is characterized by respect for every child every day," Santander said.
UNICEF called for an increase in the number of support services for children and families in the community, and an increase in the number of professional workers in centers for social work, as well as child psychologists and psychiatrists across the country.
"UNICEF calls for the creation of opportunities for every child and parent to strengthen their socio-emotional skills for non-violent conflict resolution," the announcement states.
It is emphasized that the new National Strategy is an opportunity to solve these issues.
In order for this to happen, as UNICEF said, it is necessary to ensure adequate long-term financing of all activities and services that will be part of the new Strategy.
"The strategy should be based on data on the nature and extent of violence against children in Montenegro, on the basis of which monitoring of its implementation should be carried out. For this reason, UNICEF calls on the relevant institutions to invest additional efforts in improving the practice of collecting data on this issue," the statement added.
The drafting of the National Strategy against violence against children, as pointed out, is also important for the process of accession to the European Union (EU), because EU reports on the progress of Montenegro in recent years have recognized violence against children as an issue that causes serious concern.
EU Ambassador to Montenegro Oana Kristina Popa said that the EU monitored the implementation of the existing National Strategy and will continue to do so with the support of the competent institutions.
"All social efforts should be concentrated on respecting children's rights and protecting them from violence. It is a moral imperative and an investment in the future of the country," said Popa.
The new national strategy against violence against children, as announced, will be drafted with the participation of all relevant institutions, such as the ministries of labor and social welfare, education, health, justice, human and minority rights, and internal affairs.
"The strategy will be developed and implemented in consultation with civil society organizations, the institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, children, adolescents and parents," the announcement says.
The strategy, as well as numerous activities aimed at strengthening the system for the prevention and protection of children from violence, will be implemented as part of a project financed by the EU, lasting 18 months.
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