Contributed by: Vanja Mikulic and Irena Milatovic, Montenegro National VAW Monitors

Rulebook of methods for jobs conducting and discovering criminal acts of violence in family and protection of domestic violence victims

Based on our long-term experience in working with women and children victims of violence (many of whom were seeking help and intervention from the Ministry of Interior), as well as our cooperation with the Ministry of Interior, particularly in recognizing and perceiving the problems that police officers face and which prevent them from conducting adequate interventions, we have recognized the necessity of establishing a Rulebook. This Rulebook will precisely set forth the role and obligations of police officers in their interventions in domestic violence cases.

The Ministry of the Interior (MoI) is one of the most important institutions for providing help to abused women and children during the phase of acute violence in the family. As a result, it is very important that police officials possess the correct attitude toward the problem of violence and its actors. Establishment of this Rulebook (book of regulations) is important for increasing police efficiency and raising the level of security and protection for abused women and children.

The role of the police in combating violence in family demands significant engagement for protecting the abused woman, identifying the violator, arresting and imprisoning the violator, conducting the (pre)-investigation, and bringing criminal charges.

Based on the aforementioned factors, it is imperative that we develop a protection model in which:

1. The obligations of each participant (institutions, bodies, experts) who are complementary should be precisely determined;
2. Standards and criteria for putting in practice appropriate interventions should be defined, and
3. Protocols for work on concrete cases of domestic violence should be determined.

Those three basic principles influenced the SOS hotline for women and children Podgorica to begin an initiative aimed at institutional bodies to develop draft acts that will regulate behavior toward victims of violence in family, as well as provide instructions for the Ministry of Interior’s officials.

The aim is to established normative acts, which will be enforced more adequately within the practice and that will provide a more effective response by society.

Realized activities during the project implementation:

• Media promotion with the aim of informing the public about the importance of realizing this initiative and its impact that these “regulations” will have on increasing police efficiency in domestic violence interventions and on increasing the level of security and protection of abused women and children.
• Development of the draft version that was sent to different experts and experienced police inspectors for discussion.
• Gathering suggestions and proposals from experienced inspectors and chiefs of MoI.
• Introducing the public to this initiative through organized tribunes and public hearings.
• Development of the final version of the rulebook, which was sent to the MoI.
• Consultations with key persons from MoI.
• Consultations within the expert team. 
• Media promotion to increase the level of knowledge of women and children from local communities about their rights and possibilities for protection from Security Centers.

Beside development and passing “The Rulebook of methods for jobs conducting and discovering criminal acts of violence in family and protection of domestic violence victims,” the project’s aims were:

• To strengthen cooperation of the SOS hotline and Ministry of the Interior with the aim of consistent performance,
• To increase the efficiency of police in domestic violence interventions,
• To raise the level of security and protection of abused women and children, and
• To raise the level of public knowledge of women and children in the local community about their rights and ways of protection from Security Centers.

Negotiations were completed successfully, and Mr. Dragan Djurovic, Minister of the Ministry of Interior, was impressed with the activities achieved and with our mutual cooperation. The Minister signed the “Rulebook for police officers” on 31 March 2004.

This project has been implemented through the Montenegro Advocacy Program under the protection of USAID/MAP/ORT from December 2002 to March 2004.

Attached please find (unofficial) translations of the excerpts from the rulebook, as well as the full version in Serbian.

Source: SOS hotline for women and children victims of violence Podgorica

 THE RULEBOOK-unofficialy translated articles  
 PRAVILNIK_-_srpska_verzija.doc