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Analysis of verdicts of misdemeanour courts in Montenegro in the field of domestic and gender-based violence with reference to the practice of the ECtHR
The OSCE Mission to Montenegro supported the Office of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro in preparing an analysis of court verdicts for misdemeanors of domestic violence and violence against women in 2019, and during the COVID-19 pandemic for March - July 2020. The document analyzed 184 verdicts from the following courts: Misdemeanor court in Bijelo Polje (divisions in Pljevlja, Berane and Rožaje), Misdemeanor court in Budva (divisions in Ulcinj, Bar, Kotor and Herceg Novi) and Misdemeanor court in Podgorica (divisions in Nikšić, Cetinje and Danilovgrad). Some of the main conclusions of the Analysis are that vast majority of the victims of domestic violence are women, that the victims are often not aware of the possibility to initiate misdemeanor proceedings themselves and that the penalty policy is mild. The Analysis provides a good basis to integrate the principles of gender equality into courts’ procedures and practices in cases of domestic violence and violence against women.
The views, opinions, conclusions and other information expressed in this document are not given nor necessarily endorsed by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) unless the OSCE is explicitly defined as the Author of this document.