Insight view

THE COUNTRY: HUMAN RIGHTS
LEGAL FRAMEWORK ADAPTED
Systemic and coordinated implementation
of adopted documents needed
Besides relatively long period when the whole social process and national
order had different form, based on the new system of values and freedom
of individual, there are still expectations that the access to implementation
of adopted laws and strategic documents would be systemic and coordinated,
which will contribute to better status of children in Montenegro.
After renewal of independence, Montenegro filed succession statement
in relation to the Convention on Rights of Children and Facultative protocols
on 23 October 2006.
In accordance with this, new laws largely pass the control of harmonization with international
but especially with the European legislation (Council of Europe and the EU). Analysis of new and
innovated laws show progress in terms of creation of grounds for respect and protection of rights
of children, but the concept of understanding of a child in accordance with the Convention did
not come to its full potential in legislation of Montenegro. Generally, new laws enabled normative
implementation of basic principles of the Convention: non-discrimination, principle of life and
development, principle of the best interests of a child, and principle of active
participation of a child in resolving of matters related to them.
According to census
from 2011
145,126
children bellow 18 years live in
Montenegro, which is
11,557
less children in comparison
with data from
2003 census
Tivat
In the previous period, significant number of strategies and action
plans were adopted, which marked children as priority and
vulnerable group whose needs and problems require timely
and worthy reaction of the country. These strategies and
action plans represent midterm and long term plan instruments
for exercising of sectoral policies and make the summary
of well projected activities. What concerns us is its
incomplete and inconsistent implementation. System of social
and children' protection is not at the necessary level, and the
main obstacles: lack of specialized staff, poorly developed monitoring
system, and assessment of social needs, lack of non-institutional
forms of social protection of children, and as the general limit, lack of material
means for adequate satisfaction of social needs.
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