Two Little Girls

MONTENEGRO

Montenegro is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labour. Victims of sex trafficking identified in Montenegro are primarily women and girls from Montenegro, Serbia, Macedonia, Bosnia, Kosovo, and to a lesser extent, other countries in Eastern Europe. Victims are subjected to sex trafficking within hospitality facilities, bars, restaurants, night clubs and cafes.

Children of ethnic Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian descent, displaced families, and other vulnerable children from Montenegro, Kosovo, Bosnia and Serbia are subjected to forced begging. There have been reports that ethnic Roma girls from Montenegro, who are often forced into domestic servitude, have been sold into servile marriages in Roma communities in Kosovo. Although uncommon, internationally-organised criminal groups subject Montenegrin women and girls to sex trafficking in other Balkan countries.

Montenegro is rated as a Tier 2 Country by the US Department of State’s 2014 Trafficking in Persons Report indicating that the Government of Montenegro does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. 

‘Victims are subjected to sex trafficking within hospitality facilities, bars, restaurants, night clubs and cafes.’

Montenegrin Women’s Lobby

Montengrin Women’s Lobby (MWL) combines an understanding of the political context of male domination of women and practical experience with the subjugation the women, which explains the perpetuation of a patriarchal society that supports and covers up violence against women and children.

MWL’s MISSION:

• Raising awareness about the spread of violence, its consequences for individuals and the entire society, through educational programs and media campaigns.
• Building personal strength of individuals or empowerment of groups that suffer violence. E.g. workshops, self-help groups.
• Working on the prevention and gradual elimination of all forms of violence and discrimination against women and children.
• Helping and supporting handicapped children and parents of those children.
• Working with women and children from marginalized groups such as Roma, Egyptian, etc.
• Working with refugee or IDP women and children.
• Prevention and education programs for children and young people about drug addiction, alcoholism, substance abuse, etc.
• Educational programs for different professional staff such as health, social welfare, police, judicial, corrections, etc.

• Educational and preventive programs on sexual harassment and blackmailing in schools, at university and in the workplace.
• Working on prevention and education about trafficking, assistance and support to victims of sex-trafficking.
• Educational programs for representing women in public and political life of Montenegro.

• Cooperation in establishing women’s network, exchange of experiences, implementation of joint programs and actions with groups and institutions that deal with issues of gender equality in the country and abroad.
• Anti-war activities: Promoting peace policy, dialogue, tolerance, antimilitarism, non-violent resolution of conflict and promoting conscientious objectives.

MWL’s OBJECTIVES:
• Affirmation of women’s and children’s human rights.
• The state should provide free medical examinations and psycho-social support for all victims of violence.
• Anti-discriminative law, gender equality in all segments of the society.
• Campaigns against male violence and all forms of discrimination against women and children, to be funded from the state budget, in collaboration with women’s NGOs working on gender equality.
• To amend laws in favour of protection of women’s and children’s human rights and apply them in practice.
• To increase the number of women in public and political life and decision-making positions by quota, to 30% women.
• That institutions respect the decision of women and not force them to return to the role of victim.

MWL respects ethnic diversity, and works with women and children of all nationalities, political convictions, religion, sexual orientation, disability and other differences.

KEY CAMPAIGN ACHIEVEMENTS

  • Through trainings and workshops in schools and with young people outside of schools there was given an exact number of boys and girls totaling 348 (175 male and 173 female) with 90% of these young people of Roma ethnicity.
  • The British Embassy launch:  23 participants attended from NGOs, government agencies, the media, civil society organisations and embassy’s. Another reception at the British Embassy included 11 other participants from the Montenegrin Women’s Lobby and Embassy staff. Other NGOs and teachers have been presented with the campaign reaching 14.

The Two Little Girls campaign in Montenegro will run until summer 2015. We will continue to post updates and information about the campaign as it progresses. For further information about the campaign please email emma@twolittlegirls.org