Young UNICEF reporters in Montenegro launched the campaign #MladiPredIzborePG in order to put issues concerning children and young people at the forefront of the elections that will be held in the capital this month.
"Many girls and boys will vote for the first time in these elections. We want to decide who to vote for based on what each list will do to solve the most important issues for children and young people in the capital," said UNICEF's young reporter Lana Jovanović.
Video messages of young people from Podgorica, with their requests for the next local government in the capital, will be published on TikTok and other channels of UNICEF Montenegro's social networks during the pre-election period, the organization announced.
"We invite all media and journalists to ask political candidates what they will do to protect and promote children's rights, as well as to improve services tailored to children and young people and solve key challenges in this area. We invite them to use the messages from our campaign with young people for this purpose," said UNICEF's young reporter Arsenia Aleksa Mraković.
Solving issues concerning children and young people, as stated, is beneficial for all families and citizens of Podgorica.
"More support for children living in poverty or at risk of poverty, and children without parental care; equal opportunities and inclusive services for children with disabilities, as well as for Roma and other minorities; better skills development and more employment opportunities for adolescents more regular cultural, educational and sports activities for all girls and boys from the first years of life; improvement of environmental protection and safer streets for all girls and boys - these are some of the demands of the young people of Podgorica, which will be elected on September 29," UNICEF announced.
They remind that the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which Montenegro has ratified, stipulates that every girl and every boy has the right to participate in all decisions that affect their lives.
"Through this campaign of young reporters, UNICEF supports the political participation of young people during key local elections for the country. A healthy democracy is one that hears the messages of children and young people, because equal rights and equal opportunities must be provided to all citizens from birth," said the head of the UNICEF representative office in Montenegro, Mikele Servadei.
According to the latest data, children under the age of 18 make up almost a quarter of the population of Montenegro, while children and young people under the age of 29 make up more than a third of the total population.
"Numerous UNICEF analyzes and reports on children in Montenegro in recent years indicate problems related to child poverty, violence, education and health services that require urgent solutions and should be addressed both at the local and national levels", the announcement concludes.
Bonus video:
