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

SOS hotline for women and children victims of violence Podgorica, with financial help of the CIDA LIP, is implementing the project “Capacity building of health workers for the treatment of abused women and children,” beginning in February 2006.

The goal of the project is to raise awareness and capacity-building of health workers in the field of prevention of violence against women and children in order to create resources necessary for more successful identification of mechanisms to implement present policies and action plans in health sector. The target groups of the project includes 40 health workers (officials and managers) from seven towns in Montenegro; ten members of multi-disciplinary teams from Podgorica, Niksic, Bijelo Polje, Berane and Ulcinj (representatives of SOS hotlines, the Ministry of the Interior, courts, prosecutors' offices, centers for social welfare, health care and local authorities); and representatives of the media.

Within this project, an important component is training for the health workers, which SOS hotline Podgorica is organizing through six seminars for two groups of health workers from the territory of Montenegro (40 participants total).

The topic of the seminars is “Violence in family against women and children and Health,” and trainers are Biljana Zekovic and Jelena Radulovic, both experienced and long-time trainers from this organization.

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