SOS hotline for women and children victims of violence – Podgorica, in cooperation with the Ombudsman’s office and the Governmental Gender Office, have organised a regional conference on the topic “Institutional mechanisms of protection from domestic violence and its enforcement within the region,” with the financial help of the Foundation Open Society Institute – Representative office in Montenegro and Governmental Gender Office. The conference was held on the Montenegrin coast, in the Hotel “Queen of Montenegro” in Becici, during the period 22.11.-25.11.2007.

Fifty representatives attended the conference and included individuals from the police, judiciary, ombudsman’s offices and NGOs from the following countries/regions: Montenegro, Serbia, Vojvodina, Kosovo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia and Slovenia. The aim of the conference was to exchange experiences in regard to positive practices and legislation in the area of protection from violence in the family.

The regional component of the conference provided the opportunity for a comparative analysis of the legal framework aimed at the protection of women’s rights which are (or are not) in accordance with positive practices and international ratified documents, as well as the opportunity for the exchange of knowledge, methodology and results in the field of prevention and reducing the problem of violence in the family.

Participants conducted presentations in regard to the area of their work (personal experiences of participants and experiences of the country teams in regard to practical assistance and support to women victims of violence; procedures for the empowerment of legal and other kinds of help that institutions, represented by the country teams, are providing; experiences in communication and cooperation with professionals from various institutions in community responses; institutional mechanisms related to service providers for victims of violence recognized in the regions of the participants…). This was followed by a discussion of proposals for effective responses.

After the conference was held, a publication was printed with information and results from the conference (presentations, recommendations and conclusions) which will present the basis of the information important for all relevant actors in the area of protection of human rights.

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