OSCE Mission to Montenegro supports 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence campaign
The OSCE Mission to Montenegro contributed to the global campaign on 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence by supporting four public discussions with students from six Montenegrin schools.
Some 200 students from high and elementary schools in Podgorica, Bijelo Polje, Berane and Tivat took part in the discussion held between 30 November to 7 December 2017. The discussions were organized by the Mission in co-operation with municipal officials and the country’s Ministry for Human and Minority Rights.
In her address to students in Podgorica, Lia Magnaguagno, Democratization Programme Manager at the OSCE Mission stressed that gender-based violence is entirely preventable.
“When we talk about violence, we tend to think of physical or domestic abuse. It is much more than that. It can involve intellectual abuse, not allowing girls and women to engage in intellectual development. Violence can also be economic, by affecting victims in a way so that their use and control over financial resources is limited and controlled,” she said.
Biljana Pejović, Head of the Gender Department at the Ministry for Human and Rights, said: “Gender-based violence comes from expectations related to gender roles and unequal relations within the society. It is deeply rooted in an unequal treatment of men and women in both public and private spheres. That is why we need to work more on the empowerment of youth in overcoming the stereotypes.”
The discussions highlighted that more needs to be done to engage youth and raise awareness about this very complex issue.