The Center for Social Work (CSR) in Bar proposed that a minor - one of the perpetrators of brutal peer violence in the first week of September in that city, who was determined not to be criminally responsible due to his age, be sent to the "Ljubović" Center, but his family refused this measure, "Vijesti" learned from several sources.
It was agreed, however, that experts in domestic violence from the Bar CSW would work with him and his parents.
This minor is one of the perpetrators of serious violence, as determined by the police, as a result of which a student from a Bar school suffered minor physical injuries, although he was diagnosed with a mild concussion.
After the boy was kicked in the head, he was left lying motionless on the concrete between the buildings across from the "Blažo Jokov Orlanić" elementary school.
Due to this incident, "Vijesti" previously reported, the Basic State Prosecutor's Office in Bar ordered the Police Directorate to file criminal charges against a fifteen-year-old boy for the criminal offense of violent behavior.
It was also ordered that charges be filed against the parents of the thirteen-year-old, for the criminal offense of neglect and child abuse.
The newspaper was previously told that the boys who committed this violence against their peers had previously been identified as problematic.
"Vijesti" unofficially learned that the proposal to refer this boy with behavioral problems to the "Ljubović" Center was made at the end of September during a meeting at the Center for Social Work, which was attended by a teacher and an assistant from the elementary school the minor attends. A source close to the case told the newspaper that the family rejected the proposal.
The CSR did not respond to "Vijesti's" questions about whether they had interviewed the parents of the minor involved in the incident since the beginning of September, and whether this criminally irresponsible boy had been sent to the "Ljubović" Center, a public institution for housing children and youth with behavioral problems.
They did not answer the question of whether they had experience working with that family, considering that the media had also written about two other children from the same family, who had previously been in conflict with the law.
The question of why the CSW did not initiate the procedure for limiting parental rights and appointing a temporary guardian also remained unanswered.
Beautiful Žunjić from the Parents Association says that in Montenegro there are institutional mechanisms to support families whose members display violent behavior, but that their effectiveness often depends on the family's willingness to cooperate, as well as on the capacity of institutions - financial, professional and personnel - to provide timely, adequate and continuous support.
"Although we have everything on paper - laws, strategies and plans, in practice the situation is often different. The current situation, when it comes to violence among and against children, is a symptom of our powerlessness at all levels," Žunjić emphasized.
According to her, social work centers play a key role in protecting children and preventing violence.
"According to the Law on Social and Child Protection and the Law on Protection from Domestic Violence, they are responsible for providing support to families at risk. Upon reporting, they assess the situation, initiate protection measures, involve competent institutions, may request sanctions and provide support to families," Žunjić specified.
He emphasizes that the Parents Association has been facing a challenge for years - centers and other institutions often do not have the capacity to implement everything that the law and strategies provide for them, so families and children are often left without adequate support.
"The problem is further complicated when parents are unaware of the problem or do not cooperate with the school, social work center or other institutions. In such cases, when all systems fail, children suffer the most," says Žunjić.
Although there are planned support services for families in the strategies, she emphasizes, many of them are not yet open.
"...So we have no one to refer families to. The current support that the system offers is especially insufficient for families at risk, and most often the first contact is made only when a major problem arises. Children with behavioral problems need solid and coordinated support systems - families, schools, social work centers and other institutions - in order to help them effectively. We are still far from that at the moment. When support is absent, the child is practically left to fend for himself, without adequate capacities that would enable him to get out of the problem," warns Žunjić.
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