Human Rights Action (HRA), Centre for Civic Education (CCE) and Parents Association welcome the Government of Montenegro’s decision to engage 205 security guards in 113 schools starting October 1st, as a response to the increase in violence among and against children. This measure is an important “life-saving belt”, but necessary systemic solutions for coordinated action in the protection of every child still need to be implemented.

We appreciate the efforts of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation to strengthen safety in schools and hope that the engagement of security guards is only the beginning of a broader, strategically guided reform. Allocating nearly 420,000 euros for this purpose demonstrates a commitment to addressing the issue. We expect that this commitment will also be reflected in the effective cooperation of all relevant actors – schools, social work centers, healthcare institutions, the judiciary, and local authorities – to ensure timely and comprehensive protection of children’s rights and obligations. For this reason, we particularly welcome the announced amendments to the regulations on disciplinary measures in both primary and secondary schools.

Our three organizations demanded on September 8th that the Ministry publicly disclose the results of the evaluation of the effects of engaging security guards and urgently decide on the continuation of their engagement as a temporary measure, until systemic and long-term solutions for safety in schools and their surroundings are adopted. It is especially important that every school has a team of professionals with a sufficient number of staff – psychologists, pedagogues, and social workers – who work daily with students, particularly those with behavioral issues and their families.

We also remind that we have consistently advocated, among other things, for the introduction of a mandatory Civic Education subject, which would primarily include learning skills for non-violent communication. It is high time to stop “putting out fires” and start building a system that protects children from violence in a long-term and reliable way while also teaching them non-violent communication. Peer violence cannot be curbed without fundamental changes in the way we approach the educational system and the social and child protection system.