Several hundred citizens, including parents of children with autism, gathered today in front of the Government of Montenegro in Podgorica because their calls for help have been ignored by the competent institutions for a long time.
They previously announced that the institutions had not fulfilled the promises they had sought at the April gathering.
Laković: Sell the cars and there's money for daycare centers and assistants
Protest organizer and representative of the non-governmental organization (NGO) "You Are Not Alone" Goran Laković said that "liars are sitting in the armchairs."
"For a person to be hurt, they need to have a heart. You have planes, business trips... Give us what you intended for the plane. Sell the cars and there's money for daycare centers and assistants," he said.
He told the Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography, Damir Gutić, to resign due to "lies and deception".
He also had a message for Prime Minister Milojko Spajić.
"Shut up Milojko Spajić and call on the minister to resign. This is not the end, it is just the beginning. We will not budge in front of your government," he said.
He addressed the Capital City Assembly and said that he "has 15 days to determine the location for the Day Care Center."
"We will not wait any longer. It is our future, and your past," Laković said.
Krgović: In the last few years we have only had false promises
Doctor Ivan Krgović said that while people in developed countries are engaged in important discoveries, they are also advocating for basic human rights.
In his opinion, in the last few years they have only had false promises.
"All of us who know something know that we have to be satisfied with small steps, but if they are forward and constant. We have stagnation here..." said Krgović.
He recalled that the parents of children with autism had given them a six-month deadline for the situation to change.
Vujačić: Representatives of the Government and institutions of the system should have been here today
Marina Vujačić (Association of Youth with Disabilities) said that it is her civic and activist duty not to remain silent, and that she will always speak out in front of those who are not empowered and who are afraid.
"They, the representatives of the Government and the institutions of the system, should have been here today. Dear parents and children, if they haven't listened to you for decades and years, they should have heard you today. Maybe they still have a chance to correct and do something..." Vujačić pointed out.
She said it was important to reiterate that "we do not have time to wait." She told the government that it could not make excuses, adding that it was logical for them to demand the resignation of the government.
Decević to government representatives: Is the salary of years of torturing your parents worth it to you?
Sabina Decević, president of the non-governmental organization "Voice of Silence", asked government representatives "whether the salary of years of torturing their parents is worth it to them."
"Start doing your job. For years, we have been talking about the dissatisfaction of all of us who are here. We are here today, not only for our children, but also for future generations," she said.
Pejović: I like to imagine a future where I am employed and carefree. A future where I see my child having treatments, as if there is someone to guide them.
Tamara Pejović, the mother of an autistic boy, said that we should all ask ourselves "where we see ourselves in ten years."
"I like to imagine a future where I'm employed and carefree. A future where I see my child having treatments, like there's someone to guide them... My greatest hope is that they'll have the opportunity for a job, an independent life," she said.
She called on representatives of the European Union to help them.
She reminded that children with autism do not have a daycare or a center for them.
"They are not responsible for their inaction," said Pejović, emphasizing that society is measured "by how much it cares for the most vulnerable."
Živković: In this country, nail training takes longer than teaching assistant training
Sanja Živković, representative of the Association of Assistants, said that we must see children as our own.
"When mothers speak and say things, I am sure that institutions will hear what we need and have to say. All of this was recorded by cameras," she said.
Živković added that "in this country, training for nail technicians takes longer than for teaching assistants."
She reminded that there is a lack of sensory rooms and special education teachers.
Jovanović: The profession has been looking for a faculty for special education and rehabilitation for years
Representative of the Association of Special Education Teachers Ljiljana Jovanović said that the profession has been warning about the problems for years.
"The profession knows how to set things in the right place, the way they should be. The profession has been looking for a faculty for special education and rehabilitation for years... That means uniting special education teachers into working groups. We are looking for systemic solutions, not promises," said Jovanović.
She emphasized that children with autism and their parents are not the problem.
Bećirović: We parents of children 18+ are breathing hard... Is there a place for us in this country?
Marina Bećirović said that the years fly by quickly, and they didn't celebrate their child's coming of age.
"We parents of children 18+ are breathing through our gills... Is there a place for us in this country? You have taken everything away from us," she said.
Bećirović told government representatives that they owe parents "partnership and cooperation, not manipulation."
"We don't have time to wait anymore," she said.
Bonus video:
