Podgorica, Friday, February 19, 2021 – One in five women in Montenegro has been a victim of violence during the past twelve months. The COVID-19 pandemic drew our attention to the need for a systematic approach and open dialogue on the whole society response to violence, and especially to the need for full integration of women's NGOs providing support to women victims of violence into the system – these are some of the key messages from a strategic dialogue held by the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare and women's NGOs.

The strategic dialogue event was held today in the context of the EU-funded project "Implementing Norms, Changing Minds," implemented by UN Women, with the aim of stopping gender-based discrimination and violence against women, with a special focus on the most marginalized groups of women in six Western Balkan countries and Turkey. The dialogue served to discuss the status of women's NGOs in the social protection system, focusing on the position of licensed providers of specialized services for victims of violence, as well as strengthening cooperation with the Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare in implementing the Istanbul Convention and providing services to victims of gender-based violence.

Daniela Gašparikova, UNDP Resident Representative to Montenegro, pointed out that violence against women was the most extreme manifestation of gender inequality and the most common violation of women's human rights, with serious consequences not only for women, but for society as a whole. "In Montenegro, one in three women has experienced violence during their lifetime, and one in five experienced it in the last 12 months, while trust in institutions is low – 74% of victims of sexual violence have never reported it to anyone," Gašparikova said. She pointed out that this violence also has negative financial implications. The results of UNDP research show that violence against women costs the state budget up to 0.5% of GDP or about 18 million euros due to weakened labor productivity or the absence of victims of violence from work. Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the home is not the safest place for women victims of violence, which is why UNDP has supported NGOs in establishing 24-hour support for victims of violence, including the creation of the Be Safe application, through which they can seek help by means of one click." Gašparikova also pointed to the need to develop sustainable and long-term funding models for women's NGOs that provide support to women victims of violence, in line with European best practices that rely on close cooperation and trust between women's NGOs, social work and police.

Milojko Spajić, Minister of Finance and Social Welfare, said that they were aware of the fact that more concrete steps were needed to systematically and completely solve the problem they talked about today, especially, as he said, having in mind our mentality based on numerous historical occasions and events that have hit the country. "I know how far Montenegro had come since 2000, when domestic violence was considered an act against public order and peace, until the ratification of the Istanbul Convention and its entry into force in August 2014. The Ministry of Finance and Social Welfare is ready to provide full support to everyone. Through the future work of the Coordinating Committee for Monitoring the Istanbul Convention, I will monitor the work of all institutions and insist on multidisciplinary cooperation, but also cooperation with the non-governmental sector", Minister Spajić said.

Ljiljana Raičević, president of the NGO Safe Women's House, reminded that the first women's NGO in Montenegro was founded in 1996, and that, the first shelter for victims of trafficking in Southeast Europe was opened under the leadership of this women's NGO in Montenegro in 2000. She thanked UNDP, which, in her opinion, recognized the role and efforts of members of women's non-governmental organizations that have been working almost on a voluntary basis for years. According to Biljana Zeković, executive director of the SOS Hotline for Women and Children Victims of Violence in Podgorica, support for the further work of women's NGOs is extremely important for the state of Montenegro. "If we calculate how much our volunteer work costs, we come to the fact that volunteering and being on duty on SOS lines for years alone is worth more than 10 million euros. The work of women's NGOs is of national interest, because we do the work of the state and other employees in institutions. By saying this I do not wish to criticize their work, but rather to points out that the state system cannot cover all the needs of citizens and reach target groups that NGOs can", said Zeković.