Children in the north of Montenegro, in healthcare, education and social and child protection, do not have the same rights as those in other parts of the country, said the Parents Association.
At the press conference, they presented the results of the Family Caravan initiative, which this non-governmental organization (NGO) organized in all Montenegrin municipalities over the course of two months, with the support of UNICEF and the Delegation of the European Union (EU), in cooperation with the Institute for public health (IJZ).
Tanja Ašanin from the Parents' Association said that during the Family Caravan they talked with parents about health, but also the problems they face in the field of social protection and education.
She reminded that all relevant documents, including the international ones that bind Montenegro, foresee equal rights for all children, adding that the NGO's goal was to see what the situation is in practice.
"The general impression is that not all children have equal rights, children in the north are very neglected. We have to say that out loud," said Ašanin, explaining that they were conveying the impressions of the parents they talked to.
She said that children and parents in the north are facing problems in all the areas they dealt with during the Family Caravan, but that the situation in other parts of the country is not ideal either.
Ašanin stated that, when it comes to health care, even in 19 municipalities in Montenegro there is a problem with an insufficient number of pediatricians.
According to her, five municipalities do not have continuous pediatrician protection, but a pediatrician who comes only on certain days, or in some municipalities only once a week.
"In Plav and Gusinje, two pediatricians work for three and a half thousand children," said Ašanin.
She pointed out that there is not a sufficient number of professional workers, especially speech therapists, psychologists and defectologists.
"Some municipalities do not have a special education teacher at all, this is especially true in the north," said Ašanin.
She assessed that the insufficient number of pediatricians also affects problems in the field of immunization.
Often, as she explained, immunizations and systematic examinations are delayed, while the lack of vaccines causes an additional delay in the vaccination calendar.
As she said, in most municipalities, parents are dissatisfied with the work of counseling centers and the part related to systematic examinations and immunization.
She said that, according to parents, medical workers and doctors provide parents with contradictory information.
"And often there is negative information about vaccines," said Ašanin.
She added that, in every municipality in the north, parents said that children do not have enough extracurricular activities.
Ašanin said that when it comes to education, parents pointed out the problem of non-standard rooms.
"And in the north, lack of heating in winter is a common problem," added Ašanin.
She pointed to overbooking as one of the problems in educational institutions, as well as the lack of educators and medical workers in kindergartens.
"There is definitely a problem of overbooking in all three regions of the country," said Ašanin, adding that this problem, although there is talk of the outflow of the population from the north, also exists in that region.
The biggest problem, she added, is in the south and in Podgorica, "but the north is not lagging behind either."
Ašanin said that another problem is the lack of a sufficient number of assistants.
"It is a problem that we have to devote much more attention to in the future," she said.
Ašanin pointed out several things that, according to the information they received from parents, need to be done most urgently in the field of education.
As she explained, these are the construction of kindergartens in Bar and Ulcinj, as well as elementary schools in Tivat, Herceg Novi and Podgorica.
Ašanin added that Šavnik and Andrijevica do not have a kindergarten group and that there is no gymnasium in any primary or secondary school in Andrijevica.
She pointed out that there is no kindergarten in Petnjica as an independent public institution, but it is organized in the school.
"Petnjica does not have its own kindergarten, only within the school, and it only works until noon. "Petnjica should get its own kindergarten, JPU and its own space," said Ašanin.
She recalled the long-standing problem with drinking water that Petnjica is facing. "No one solves what is an elementary right," said Ašanin.
One of the problems at the level of the whole country, as she said, is the insufficient number of playgrounds.
She added that, during the Family Caravan, their goal was to reach the parents and hear what they all face.
"Defining the problem is the first step towards solving it," Ashanin said.
She added that in the coming period the Association of Parents will deal with the identified problems.
"This wouldn't carry any weight if we just relayed what the parents said, it's important to deal with the issues," Ašanin said.
She announced that in the coming period, she will work to ensure that children in all municipalities receive continuous health care.
"We have to deal with the fact that parents do not receive contradictory information regarding immunization," said Ašanin, adding that the problem of overbooking must be addressed.
She pointed to examples of good practice that exist in Cetinje, Žabljak, Tivat, Pljevlja and Bar, which relate to providing opportunities for children.
"A family medicine doctor has been hired in Cetinje, pediatricians who are retired have been hired for preventive examinations, thus they manage to meet the needs of the citizens," said Ašanin.
According to her, Žabljak and Cetinje provide free attendance at preschool institutions for all children, and in Pljevlja a financial allowance has been introduced for children of preschool age.
Ašanin said that in Tivat they organized NTC trainings for representatives of educational institutions, in order to work on the early development of children.
In Bar, as she said, school meals and membership fees in sports clubs are provided for part of the children living in poverty.
Hygiene specialist and doctor at the IJZ, Snežana Barjaktarovic Labović, stated that hygiene in Montenegro is neglected.
She said this referring to the conditions in the existing educational institutions, but also to the new facilities that are being designed.
"We see that they are not compatible with the profession," said Barjaktarović Labović, adding that some projects do not envisage buildings with natural ventilation, that is, they do not have windows.
Barjaktarović Labović said that parents and families must devote themselves more to children.
"The family, as the basic unit in society, should have a greater chance and we should deal with children a little more at the family level," she said, explaining that this is the position of all the hygiene specialists who participated in the Family Caravan.
Barjaktarović Labović said that the parents were not overly interested during the event, and that there were not too many questions for the doctors.
"Most parents left their children in the animator's environment and then dealt with the phones," she said, adding that they expected more parental involvement.
Barjaktarović Labović said that parents in the north were more interested.
"Parents have to devote themselves much more to their children, the health of children depends on their parents," she said.
Adis Martinović, a specialist in epidemiology and a doctor at the IJZ, agrees that during the Family Caravan, parents did not show interest to the extent they expected.
"A small number of parents, or much less than we expected, asked questions about vaccines," said Martinovic.
According to him, it was confirmed that there is a shortage of pediatricians and the unavailability of appointments for systematic examinations and immunizations.
Martinović explained that this problem has already been partially solved by introducing additional appointments for immunizations on weekends, but that the level of vaccination is not at a sufficient level.
It was also confirmed, he said, that there is misinformation and parents' fears regarding the MMR vaccine.
"We tried to show them in a way acceptable to them that this is not the case," said Martinović.
He said that the activities of the institutions have the effect of increasing the number of vaccinated children, but that this is still not enough.
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