NGO Mladiinfo has organized in Canj the seminar about antidiscrimination within the project “Higher tolerance = lower discrimination“, in the period from the 20th to 24th of June 2020. The training was attended by 20 young people from Berane, Pljevlja, Niksic, Rozaje, Ulcinj and Podgorica. The project was supported by the Ministry of Human and Minority rights. During the program, actual topics on discrimination in Montenegro were involved, also positioning of marginalized social groups and talk about their problems.
On the first day of seminar everybody met each other, what followed was presentation of agenda and the project itself. This session was led by the woman coordinator of the project. The lectures had started with explaining of human rights, what every person achieves on birth and which rights enjoys, as well as the position of minority and marginalized groups in Montenegro. The lecturer was Miluša Žugić, who has met the participants with the term discrimination, what it truly represents and how we should treat many differences that surround us.
“We can not mark off someone just because he is different, make something to them, a move, anything that would separate them from us. So, antidiscrimination means that we are all the same in respecting the rights. That everyone, no matter on the skin color, race, sex, age, anything, should not make differences. If somebody makes those differences and another person is watching without doing anything, that is discrimination“, stated Zugic.
At the training, she pointed out that the most endangered groups are persons with disabilities, Roms and LGBT population. Through interaction, the participants had the chance to bring out their opinion, more precisely, why the stated groups are listed as endangered and discriminated.
Some of the attitudes of the participants were that LGBT people are separated just because of unknowing the problem which they face from the birth, but also because they are the most controversial and eccentric group.
During the seminar, the methods of informal education have been used, so, some of the games, as Secret friend, were included, then expectations, fears and contributions, like many energizers, too. With the coordinator of the project, these activities were performed by Nina Vuksanovic.
After the dinner, the participants have watched the movie “Untouchable“, which is about people with disabilities – quadriplegics and their relations with employees, family and friends.
The next day, working part of the seminar has started with discussion about the movie. Miluša Žugić has talked about people with disabilities, their position, wishes, possibilities. She presented the right terminology and good manners of behavior with persons with disabilities. Within the training, a group work of participants was included, they named examples of violation of human rights, but also presentation of them.
The game that made a special impression was “put on someone else’s shoes“. The participants have got the task to be the person with disabilities for a moment. Some of them were not able to use their arm, leg, sense of hearing or sight. Through this type of practicum, the youth had the chance to feel for a moment, with what difficulties and hard life people with disabilities any kind are met.
In the afternoon session, through the game “Where do I stand“, the participants had the opportunity to express their attitude and to discuss about life situations which Roms, Albanians, persons with disabilities, LGBT people, Serbs, Bosniaks, Croatians, women, elder people, but the youth also encounter and in what way their rights are endangered.
The president of NGO Center for women rights, Maja Raicevic has led the lecture to the participants about gender equality, the status of women in Montenegro through history, women rights, violence against women and children in those families, but about the violence in general, too.
“In some situations, simply, our tradition is like that, so we consider that parents’ rights are inviolable and above the children’s rights. Unfortunately, because it should not be like that. The right of a child on security, safety, health, life without violence must be a priority. Many women victims of violence do not want to stop the contact with violent husband because of children, precisely because they do not want to cut children’s relation with the father, but if the women feel that the father is violent and that he could any way threaten their child, they will oppose keeping contact with husband, in wish to protect the child from possible injuries.“, Raicevic said.
Also, within the training, the participants had the possibility to separately express their opinion on violence, as well as the experience or if they have ever been exposed to any sort of violence.
The representative of Central Youth Forum, Nikolina Scekic, has held a short presentation to the participants, about meaning of multiculturalism, which legal acts our country has ratified, when it comes to human rights and legislation in theme of marginalized and minority rights. She explained what rights are guaranteed by the Constitution of Montenegro.
In the evening session, the youth had the chance to play different roles, so that they could see for themselves how endangered groups and minorities feel in Montenegro, which rights they are able to use and which of it is threatened.
At the end of seminar, the participants through evaluation expressed content with the whole training and organization itself and expressed will for repetition of activities of NGO Mladiinfo Montenegro because with this kind of projects, as they say, we raise awareness, especially with young people, about the importance of problem, but also the problems in general that are little talked about.