Podgorica, April 11, 2022 – Misogyny and hate speech remain very pronounced phenomena, which hinder the process of improving the position of women in Montenegro – this was concluded at the meeting of Ombudsman Siniša Bjeković with UNDP representatives.

The UNDP Resident Representative for Montenegro, Ms. Daniela Gašparikova, visited the Office of the Protector to discuss project cooperation in the field of women's rights and the fight against hate speech.

The interlocutors agreed that misogyny, intolerance in public discourse, and hate speech in general remain problems to which Montenegro has no effective response, especially in the online sphere.

Protector Bjeković and Deputy for Protection against Discrimination Nerma Dobardžić pointed out that the institution primarily tries to act preventively and proactively in this area, through promotional activities, press releases and other public engagements, and that the Protector has a number of cases acting on complaints from citizens.

“Examples of intolerant, misogynistic and discriminatory speech are still pronounced phenomena in Montenegrin society, especially in pre-election periods and other delicate socio-political moments. It is necessary to strengthen the systemic answer to these issues, which means a unified understanding of definitions, harmonization of practice and application of international standards,“ Ombudsman Bjeković said. Speaking about the importance of the contribution of international organizations and representations in Montenegro when it comes to these processes, he emphasized the important role of the UNDP in the fight against femicide, in light of recent tragic events in our country.

Gašparikova pointed to the increase in hate speech in public discourse, which is increasingly marked by both misogyny and sexism. “UNDP wishes to contribute to a constructive dialogue in Montenegro that leads to concrete solutions towards the sustainable development of society, an essential part of which is the achievement of gender equality“, she said.

Representatives of the Office of the Protector's presented the future model of establishing a network of local, so-called “focal points“ in the field of protection against discrimination, and pointed out the structure of cases and the trend of increasing citizens' addresses.

The press release was originally published on the website of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms.