Carrying out the 23^rd activity determined by the 2013 Activity Plan of the Committee, at their nineteenth meeting held today, within the activities dedicated to children’s rights and promotion of the position of children aimed at protecting them from all forms of exploitation, the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms considered the Report on Results of Conducted Research on Protection of Children from Exploitation, submitted by the Institution of Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro to the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms.

Apart from the MPs, members of the Committee, the meeting was attended by the following as well: Ms Nevenka Stanković, Deputy Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro for Children’s Rights; Ms Vesna Vučurović, Assistant Minister of Education; Mr Radule Novović, Assistant Minister for Information Society and Telecommunication; Ms Mitra Đurišić, Advisor to the Minister of Health; Ms Svetlana Sovilj, Advisor at the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare; Ms Marijana Radunović, Advisor at the Office for Action against Trafficking in Human Beings; who informed the members of the Committee on the activities undertaken for the purpose of implementing Conclusions of the Committee adopted on the occasion of consideration of the following: Report on Child Begging in Montenegro, Report on Sexual Exploitation of Children in Montenegro, and Report on Abuse of Children via the Internet in Montenegro. Additionally, the meeting was attended by the Head of the UNICEF Office to Montenegro Mr Benjamin Perks, and the Advisor for the European Integration and Human Rights at the EU Delegation to Montenegro, Ms Barbara Rotovnik, as well as the representative of the NGO “Civic Alliance”, Mr Milan Radović.

Ms Nevenka Stanković, Deputy Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro for Children’s Rights said that, within the regional project “Promotion of the Position of a Child Aimed at Protection from All Forms of Exploitation” of the CRONSEE Children's Rights Ombudspersons' Network in South East Europe which was being implemented with the support of Save the Children, the institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro had conducted research on child begging, sexual exploitation of children and abuse of children via the Internet, and based on the results of the conducted research they had drafted certain recommendations that they sent out to line ministries for further procedure.

She recalled that, according to the research results on child begging, a total of 323 children, ages 2 to 17, who did not have Montenegrin citizenship, were recorded as operating as beggars in Montenegro. She pointed out the poor sharing of information, absence of multidisciplinary approach to solving this issue and insufficiently good campaign that would point out the existence of child begging in Montenegrin society.

With regard to sexual exploitation of children, she also recalled the research conducted in the period from 2008 to 2011. The results of this research had shown that, out of the total of 68 cases of reported sexual exploitation and abuse of children in Montenegro, only 35 cases had been processed, and this phenomenon affected mostly children ages 13 to 16, the majority of which were not attending school regularly. It is necessary to enhance cooperation among the state authorities in order to prevent sexual exploitation of children and undertake measures to re-socialise and re-integrate children victims of sexual exploitation and abuse.

With regard to the abuse of children via the Internet in Montenegro, the Deputy Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro for Children’s Rights said that the data had been collected via focus groups and conversations with children, and it had shown that about 90% of children had a computer and internet access at home, while on average they used the Internet two or three hours per day. According to the results, one child in four in Montenegro had received a pornographic message via the internet, and one in ten had gone to meet a stranger. Additionally, the research had shown that 90% of parents believed that their children firmly obeyed their agreements with regard to the Internet use.

With regard to the recorded shortcomings, the Deputy Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro pointed out the lack of a database and a single record on the abuse and exploitation of children. She also pointed out the fact that not even the professionals recognised all forms of child abuse and estimated that there was a lack of specialised and professional personnel that would deal with child protection from all forms of abuse. She estimated that it was necessary to enhance inter-section cooperation and to develop a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving. It was necessary to undertake more activities and measures aimed at re-integration and re-socialisation of the victims of child abuse and exploitation.

The Deputy said that the Recommendations that the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro had addressed to the state authority bodies were being implemented, and she expressed special pleasure over the implementation of the Recommendations given on the occasion of preventing sexual exploitation and abuse of children, while, in her opinion, there should be more activities regarding implementation of the Recommendations regarding elimination of child begging.

Mr Radule Novović, Assistant Minister for Information Society and Telecommunication, said that as of February 2012, the Ministry, in cooperation with the company Telenor and the Ministry of Education, had been implementing the Project of Child Protection on the Internet called “Conquer Internet – Surf Smart”. The project officially began by signing a Memorandum on Cooperation with Telenor, and it was based on the principles of peer education in Montenegrin primary schools, where the select ambassadors of safe internet, after their previously carried out training, would transfer the acquired knowledge and skills on safe internet use. The Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro and the NGO “Parents” subsequently joined the project. So far, the training has been completed by 5000 students from almost all Montenegrin municipalities, and as of next year the continuation of the project has been planned to include 6000 more students.

In this manner a private-public partnership was achieved, and the engagement of the competent institutions, as well as involvement of NGO sector, was necessary, especially in order to spread a very important message: child safety in general, and even their security in a digital environment, represents a challenge for the society as a whole and a job for everyone.

Representative of the Office for Action against Trafficking in Human Beings said that during the harmonisation of its legislation with international legislative standards, Montenegro had significantly improved legislative framework hence importantly regulating the crime of trafficking in human beings. For the purpose of creating the ambience of more effective pursuing of perpetrators of trafficking in human beings, the recently adopted Law on Amendments to the Criminal Code incudes the amendment to the Article 444 in the part relating the introduction of two new types of exploitation resulting from the crime of trafficking in human beings – “slavery and actions similar to slavery” and “entering illegal marriage”; this amendment is made upon the initiative of the Office for Action against Trafficking in Human Beings. The Article 445, which criminalises the trafficking of children for adoption purposes, is also amended, thus the age limit is increased from 14 to 18 years, what is important in terms of protecting children and their access to justice. The Government of Montenegro continuously allocate funds to the Office for Action against Trafficking in Human Beings providing thus functioning of the Government’s Shelter for victims of human trafficking , and in the mid of the previous year the Office for Action against Trafficking in Human Beings provided better conditions for accommodation of victims of human trafficking, therefore children and adults can be placed separately. A number of educational activities aimed at strengthening of professional activities of health, educational and social workers as well as representatives of police, public prosecutor’s office, judiciary, inspection services and other included in the fight against trafficking in human beings/children have been implemented; during these activities the accent was placed on identification and provision of the adequate help and protection. In order to strengthen the system of identification, the list of indicators for early identification of victims/potential victims of human trafficking was developed in July 2013, and it was printed and distributed to all who may come into direct contact with victims/potential victims of human trafficking. Special list of indicators was developed for providers of medical help. Representative of the  Office for Action against Trafficking in Human Beings assessed as important the signing of the revised Agreement on cooperation among national authorities, Public Institution Centre for Child and Family Support Bijelo Polje, Red Cross and six non-governmental organisations, stating that the aim of the Agreement was cooperation in the prevention, identification, training, reporting and public prosecution of offenders and the protection of potential victims of trafficking, with full respect for their human rights, with the aim of ensuring the physical, psychological, medical , social and child care and to facilitate their integration into a new society. Designed and targeted campaigns are being implemented continuously, primarily focused on raising awareness of the general public about the phenomenon of trafficking in human beings and children, which simultaneously represents one of the goals of the Strategy for the Fight against Trafficking in Human Beings .

Assistant Minister of Education Ms Vesna Vučurović stressed the importance of the project “School without violence”, initiated jointly with the UNICEF, adding that the Rulebook was prepared for the project and distributed to schools along with brochures for parents and a questionnaire for schools.

Head of the UNICEF Office to Montenegro Mr Benjamin Perks praised previous activities undertaken for protection of children from all types of violence as well as courage of the Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro to state and consider that vulnerable issue. He was interested whether the reported cases of sexual violence were proceeded, and Deputy Protector said that four cases were proceeded and the verdict for those was reached. Mr Benjamin Perks reminded that the UNICEF, together with the Delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro to PACE, organised a research on violence against children, and the results of the research had been presented to public, assessing that in the following period more activities should be implemented in order to inform public on the results of the research for the purpose of undertaking the relevant measures with the aim of protecting children from all forms of violence.

Members of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms unanimously assessed that continuous activities were necessary  as well as multi-section approach  of all national authorities, with participation of NGO sector and support of international organisations for solving problems related to various types of exploitation and misuse of children.

By a majority of votes, the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms adopted the Report on results of implemented researches in the field of protection of children from exploitation and reached a conclusion, in line with 2013 Activity Plan, to organise regional meeting of parliamentary working bodies of the regional countries with the topic: “Rights of the Child: Promotion of the Position of a Child Aimed at Protection from All Forms of Exploitation”; the meeting will be organised jointly with the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro and Delegation of the Parliament of Montenegro to Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, with the support of UNICEF and OSCE Mission to Montenegro. The meeting’s objective is exchange of views and good practices in protection of children’s rights. The intention is to establish the further objectives and direction of inter-parliamentary cooperation and national institutions for protection of human rights and rights of a child. Chairperson of the Committee Mr Halil Duković, MD stated that the first Regional meeting would present activities which parliamentary bodies competent for human rights and rights of a child and ombudspersons for children from regional countries undertook at the plan of protection of child’s right and improvement of a child position for the purpose of protection against all types of discrimination.

In addition, the Committee adopted the Information from the Public debate on the topic: “IPA 2014-2020 and inclusion of Roma and Egyptians in Montenegro”, of 27 September 2013. The Committee unanimously adopted the Report on the participation of the Delegation of the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms at the First regional meeting of the parliamentary bodies competent for human and minority rights and gender equality, held in the National Assembly, Belgrade, on 29 and 30 October 2013, and decided, in line with Article 210, paragraph 3 of the Rules of Procedure of the Parliament of Montenegro to send the Report to the Committee on International Relations and Emigrants.

Within the current issues, the Committee got acquainted with the letter of the Minister for Human and Minority Rights Mr Suad Numanović, MD, by which he called the Committee on Human Rights and Freedoms to appoint two representatives for members of the Working Group which would deal with the analysis of legislation regulating the work of the Fund for Protection and Exercising of Minority Rights. The Committee decided the representative of the ruling coalition in the Working Group to be MP Husnija Šabović, while the representative of the opposition will be determined subsequently.