A representative of the NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro attended the press conference of the Center for Democracy and Human Rights within the project “Towards Social, Through Economic Security and Equality of All”, supported by the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, on December 8 at 2 p.m. in the PR Center.
The topic of the conference was: “Discrimination in the field of work and employment among the RE population”, while the following spoke on the topic: CEDEM Coordinator Matija Miljanić, CEDEM Representative Dijana Bošković and President of the Judicial Council Vesna Simović Zvicer.
“Ethnic distancing from the minority population is not only socio-psychological, but also significant social and even political action, and the fight against discrimination requires social and, above all, political will and determination,” said Matija Miljanić.
He also pointed out that discrimination in the field of work and employment among the Roma and Egyptian population is one of the more serious problems in Montenegro, and the latest research on discrimination indicates that we measure the highest level of discrimination in the field of employment.
The highest level of discrimination in Montenegro is 36.2 percent towards Roma.
Dijana Bošković pointed out that the project expanded the list of existing members of the network of local coordinators for the fight against domestic violence, child begging and forced marriages.
“A Guide on Doing Business in the Spirit of Non-Discrimination has been prepared, authored by Ms. Simović-Zvicer. A two-day training was held for representatives of the Employment Agency of Montenegro, centers for social work and representatives of local governments from Herceg Novi, Nikšić and Bijelo Polje. Given the importance of involving employers, a one-day training was held for employers from the mentioned municipalities, on the importance of combating stereotypical behavior towards vulnerable groups”, said Dijana.
Vesna Simović Zvicer emphasized that the new Labor Law entered into force in January this year and that a significant novelty is envisaged in terms of the burden of proof.
“In the event that we have a person who is a candidate for employment or is an employed person, or a person whose employment was terminated, but initiated protection proceedings because he believes that the termination of employment was the result of discrimination, we anticipate that the burden of proof is on the employer”, said Vesna.
Three workshops were organized for unemployed persons on the records of the Employment Agency of Montenegro, as well as for victims of domestic violence.