Effects and consequences of gender-based violence and early marriages focus of OSCE Mission to Montenegro-supported courses in Montenegro

To raise awareness of the effect and consequences of gender-based violence and early marriages, the OSCE Mission to Montenegro, in partnership with the NGO Centre for Roma Initiatives, and supported by the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna, organized a three one-day training courses for 48 professionals from police, prosecution, education and social welfare in Nikšić, Podgorica and Berane on 27 May, 3 and 10 June 2019.

Real-life stories about women who were subjected to early marriages were presented, triggering a productive discussion. The discussion topics included the historical practice of young women marrying before the age of 16 and the growing realization of the many negative aspects of early marriages, which, in some circumstances, can be characterized as trafficking in human beings.

According to the 2012 to 2016 National Strategy for Improving the Position of Roma and Egyptians in Montenegro, among 850 Roma women who were then interviewed, 90% were married before their 16th birthday.

The current project is a continuation of an extra-budgetary project, funded by the Permanent Mission of France to the United Nations and International Organizations in Vienna and based on recommendations resulting from a mapping analysis conducted by the Mission in six Montenegrin municipalities, in particular those where Roma and Egyptian communities are settled. It is designed to raise awareness about early marriages and domestic violence among vulnerable groups.