Montenegro has achieved significant normative progress in the fight against violence against women, harmonizing its legislation with international standards, but due to inadequate enforcement of the law, women are still among the most vulnerable categories of society.
This was announced at the round table "Improving the judicial response to violence against women", which was held today in Podgorica.
The AIRE Center announced that, with the support of the British Embassy in Podgorica, they gathered over 30 representatives of judicial and legislative institutions, international organizations, civil society and the academic community, together with leading experts in the field of human rights protection and gender equality.
Minister of Justice Bojan Božović pointed out that the coordinated approach of institutions in solving the problem of gender-based violence is important.
"The European Commission has set two key demands to Montenegro: the appointment of the President of the Supreme Court of Montenegro and the adoption of binding instructions for prosecutors on handling cases of domestic violence," said Božović.
As he said, both goals have been achieved, which will certainly improve the judicial response to gender-based violence and improve the protection of the most vulnerable.
Božović added that Montenegro's efforts in this field will not stop.
"The Ministry of Justice will adopt a strategy for a comprehensive and holistic response to these cases," announced Božović.
According to him, everyone is responsible, from judicial and prosecution institutions, through the police and social services, all the way to educational institutions.
"We must not hide behind legal norms; we must clearly define responsibilities and take responsibility," said Božović.
British Ambassador Don McCann emphasized that the United Kingdom continuously supports Montenegro in the fight against violence against women.
She pointed out that it is important that every institution - the police, the prosecution and the judiciary - recognize their responsibility to protect victims in time.
"This requires that the police adequately respond and keep records of reports of violence, that the prosecution adequately qualifies them. And, crucially, for the judiciary to establish a practice that prioritizes justice for victims of violence and acts preventively," said McCann.
As she stated, there is a lot of room for improvement in each of these areas.
"The British Government therefore supports initiatives that improve the systemic response to violence," McCann emphasized.
The AIRE Center said that one of the key topics of the round table was the incrimination of femicide, given the worrying number of cases of gender-based violence that end in murder.
"This topic is recognized as a global challenge, but also an urgent priority for Montenegro and the region," said the AIRE Center.
Director of the Center for Women's Rights, Maja Raičević, pointed out that Montenegro has good legal foundations, but that the implementation of the law is still inadequate.
"The problems lie in weak law enforcement, lack of resources and inadequate education of professionals in the judiciary," Raičević said.
As she said, without systemic changes and coordinated action, it is difficult to expect long-term results.
"We can find a good example in the holistic approach applied by Belgium by passing a law that not only recognizes gender-based violence as a criminal offense, but also includes measures for recording and monitoring these cases, specific preventive steps, and the protection of child victims," Raičević pointed out. .
The President of the Court of Appeal, Mirjana Popović, emphasized that gender-based violence proceedings must be handled with sensitivity and understanding of the social consequences of the decisions made by the court in those proceedings.
"Each verdict in such cases carries multiple significance — providing justice to the victim, punishing the perpetrators and sending a clear message to society that violence is unacceptable," said Popović.
The announcement states that the reason for the organization of the round table is the recommendations from the publication "Judicial response to femicide in the Western Balkans", which is the result of a three-year study of legal frameworks and court practice in the prosecution of gender-based murders of women.
It is added that the report makes recommendations for improving the processing and prevention of femicide in the region.
The program manager of the AIRE Center for the Western Balkans, Sabina Đapo, said that only through systematic monitoring of the phenomenon of femicide, coordinated and informed measures can be taken to improve institutional action, including judicial, police, educational, social and other systems.
She pointed out that the goal of that study was to provide a comprehensive overview of the current situation and establish the basis for further activities.
"One of the key recommendations concerns the improvement of criminal laws, in order to enable a stronger response to gender-based murder of women, which directly encouraged the organization of this round table," said Đapo.
The AIRE Center emphasized that this publication represents an important step towards the harmonization of judicial practice in the region, ensuring that femicide is treated with the seriousness it deserves.
"The recommendations from the report aim to contribute to the strengthening of judicial capacities and alignment with international standards in the fight against gender-based violence," the announcement states.
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