Šćekić: There is no true policymaking for children without their real participation

There is no true policymaking for children without their real participation - children must be at the center of the system, and the responsibility for their protection must be shared, said the Minister of Sports and Youth and President of the Council for Children's Rights, Dragoslav Šćekić.

Organized by the Council for the Rights of the Child and the aforementioned department, the conference "Synergy of Institutions in the Protection of Children and Youth" was held today in Podgorica, dedicated to strengthening interdepartmental cooperation and improving the child protection system and youth policy in Montenegro.

Opening the conference, Šćekić emphasized that the Council for the Rights of the Child has restored its full institutional capacity in the past year and a half and has become a key mechanism for creating, coordinating and monitoring child-oriented policies. He emphasized that through the ten sessions held, with the participation of all departments, cooperation with UNICEF, the active role of the civil sector and the involvement of children themselves, visible and measurable results have been achieved.

"Special emphasis was placed on a systemic approach to addressing peer violence and vandalism in schools, through the first uniform and comprehensive package of measures adopted by the Government of Montenegro, as well as on improving support for vulnerable groups of children, including children with developmental disabilities, children from the Roma and Egyptian communities, and children with autism spectrum disorders," the Ministry of Sports and Youth announced.

Šćekić also pointed out the importance of immunity and a responsible, scientifically based approach to immunization as an issue of broader social importance.

Within the first panel "Improving Child Protection through Interdepartmental Cooperation", which was attended by the Deputy Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms Snežana Mijušković, Acting Head of UNICEF Representative Office in Montenegro Nela Krnić, Minister of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography Damir Gutić, State Secretary at the Ministry of Internal Affairs Petar Koprivica and Amina Mušović from the Ministry of Justice, it was emphasized that cooperation between institutions is key to effective child protection.

Nela Krnić particularly emphasized the successful cooperation with the Council for the Rights of the Child and the importance of its work, while the panelists agreed that prevention is of crucial importance, as well as that it is necessary to strengthen the role of the family as "the primary community in which the child's safety and values ​​are developed," the statement reads.

The second panel "Improving Youth Policy through Interdepartmental Cooperation" brought together representatives of institutions and the civil sector: Director of the Directorate for Youth and Cooperation with NGOs Darko Stojanović, Head of the Cabinet of the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Dialogue Anđela Ivanović, Acting Director General of the Directorate for Education and Upbringing of Members of Minorities and Other Minority National Communities Dragan Mijušković, Acting Assistant Director of the Employment Agency Gordana Bošković and Vladimir Perazić from the Youth Network.

The panel emphasized that all public policies are directly related to the position of youth, and that interdepartmental cooperation is key to creating conditions in which young people can develop their potential and actively participate in society.

"It was concluded that the conference represents an important step in further strengthening the synergy of institutions and a confirmation of the common commitment to consistently protecting, promoting and placing the rights of children and youth at the center of public policies in Montenegro," the statement reads.