A/HRC/44/45/Add.1
and begging prevention in the education system. Schools are obliged to include parents,
especially from Roma communities, in all workshops. Schools are also obliged to organize
a workshop at least twice a semester dealing with parental skills, the benefits of education
for women and the inclusion of Roma communities in the education system.
65.
In addition, in order to establish better cooperation with Roma communities,
associates are employed who work on the social inclusion of Roma boys and girls in the
area of education. In 2018, there were funds for 18 associates, and 22 in 2019. The standard
is one associate per 70 Roma pupils. The system is aimed at reducing the risk of drop out
during the last two years of compulsory education. That is done in cooperation with
international organizations and civil society, which have helped to improve the programme
by including new indicators for the early identification of children at risk of drop out, and
through the establishment of teaching mentors for Roma children in secondary schools.
Mentors, who are also teachers in the school, can take on up to three students. Their role is
to support students not only in school but also towards better integration at all levels. The
programme has been evaluated by the Government, which assured the Special Rapporteur
that it had already shown good results. It has not only contributed to reducing drop out, but
has also increased school success and the rates of Roma students continuing onwards in
non-compulsory education. In addition, it has brought positive results in fighting social
stigma from the general population towards Roma communities.
66.
The Government’s national action plan and strategy for social inclusion of members
of Roma communities in Montenegro further foresees the collaboration of local authorities,
teachers in primary and secondary schools, prosecutor’s offices, the judiciary, the Roma
national council and Roma civil society to identify and prevent unlawful marriage and, if
they do occur, to determine how to better implement and apply article 444 of the Criminal
Code on trafficking in persons.
67.
Other measures taken include the drafting and implementation of a protocol, in
collaboration with Save the Children International, outlining mechanisms to deal with child
begging. The protocol, which was signed by the Ministries of the Interior, Labour and
Welfare, Health and Education and the Police Directorate was widely promoted and, at the
moment of the visit, officials were working on establishing a coordination body for the
implementation of the protocol. According to members of civil society interviewed, lack of
coordination and cooperation of authorities was one of the key challenges affecting the
State response in that domain.
68.
Reports regarding cases of child trafficking in the region indicate that government
responses across the Balkan region to child begging have not been sufficient, given that the
competent institutions are not providing adequate interventions or services.5 Any other type
of trafficking of children has been underreported, due to a lack of knowledge by the
relevant authorities. In addition, given the differences between the domiciled and nondomiciled Roma populations, applying a single strategy proves ineffective. The current
prevention strategy is designed for the domiciled Roma population, because enrolment in
school among non-domiciled Roma children is difficult to ensure, despite the efforts of
cooperation among the various authorities involved.
69.
Training activities and awareness-raising on indicators of trafficking have also been
developed and implemented by other institutions. During her visit, the Ministry of Health
informed the Special Rapporteur of training activities on indicators of trafficking for health
practitioners to improve the identification of victims. More activities are planned for 2020,
which will include training of health-care professionals in various regions. Each year, two
workshops per region will be organized for all levels of medical care assistance, including
among the management of health care institutions. The Special Rapporteur welcomed that
initiative and insisted that training of potential first responders on indicators of trafficking
was crucial for identification.
5
14
Ibid., p. 44.
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