The meeting at which courts' presidents discussed possible modalities to improve the work of Victims' Support Services was held on 9 November 2021 in Podgorica, in co-organisation of the Supreme Court of Montenegro and Council of Europe Programme Office in Podgorica.

Victims' Support Services, aimed at offering comprehensive and efficient support to victims, injured parties, victims of trafficking in human being and domestic violence, have been established in all basic and high courts, as well as misdemeanour courts. These Services, however, still lack in clearly defined responsibilities, and victims are not sufficiently informed about their existence and functioning, which is the reason why they very rarely, or hardly ever refer to them.

Acting Supreme Court president pointed to this fact, saying that: “The right of the victim to be informed is key in exercising their right to legal aid. The focus of Victims’ Support Services is on offering assistance to victims in cases of trafficking in human beings, trafficking in children for adoption, domestic or family violence, as well as in cases against sex-based freedoms”, said Vučković.

Even if certain steps have been made to better inform victims about these Services, such as the development of the Protocol for the work of Services, as well as informative material for possible users, courts’ presidents agreed that it was necessary to invest additional efforts to improve the capacities of the Services and ensure that wide public is aware of their work and the support they can offer.

In the coming period, the focus will be on training tailored to suit the needs of the Services, and by adopting relevant regulations, appropriate organisational structure of Services will be established, so their sustainability and continuity of their functioning is ensured.

The meeting was an occasion to discuss the results of the work and the possibilities for improving Free Legal Aid Offices, particularly in the contexts of the rights of victims in cases of domestic violence and trafficking in human beings.

The action “Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro”, within which the meeting was organised, and which is a part of joint European Union and Council of Europe programme Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”, will continue to provide support with the aim of further strengthening of capacities of Victims’ Support Services.