During the visit to five Montenegrin cities last week, the Civic Alliance representatives organized meetings with local councilors, where the participants discussed the initiative to establish women’s councilor clubs. The meetings were held in Berane, Mojkovac, Cetinje, Herceg Novi and Petnjica.
In communication with councilors, the challenges their municipalities generally face were first mapped. The key problems identified in almost all communities are unemployment, lack of cultural events, the departure of young people, and generally ignorance of the opportunities offered to them. The lack of health centers in these municipalities and only the occasional arrival of pediatricians in hospitals are added to the list of numerous issues that the participants at the meeting pointed out. They also stated that school systems function in such a way that young people are often forced to leave their cities and go to Podgorica to study because there are no desired faculties in their cities or areas and that the offer of departments in secondary schools is scarce. There is also a special challenge they face. For example, bookstores, kiosks, and gas stations are still inaccessible to citizens in the municipality of Petnjica. There are also more serious problems, such as domestic violence, and, as the interviewees stated, women from more rural areas generally do not talk about it.
It is clear that the local councilors precisely identified all the challenges their communities are facing, in terms of gender equality as well. What they need is support, education, and resources to maintain local women’s council clubs in these municipalities and to enable women to exercise their potential as active participants in local politics.
Organized meetings are just one of the steps that the Civic Alliance is undertaking in terms of gender equality and a better position for women in local communities. By networking these clubs, they will have a common platform to analyze and address problems that directly affect them in their local communities. This is not only a step towards greater involvement of women in political life but also a step towards creating a more inclusive society that respects and promotes equality. For that reason, this activity obtained positive comments from councilors, who expressed their desire to start the work of councilors’ clubs to join forces, regardless of political affiliation, to fight for a better and brighter future for their fellow citizens.
The organized meetings are part of the project “Platform for Creating a Network of Women’s Councilor Clubs in Montenegro”, which the Civic Alliance is implementing with the support of the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights.
