On 22 April, the fourth meeting of the Steering Committee of the project "Prevent bullying and violence in schools in Montenegro" was held in Podgorica, bringing together partners actively working in this area.

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, the Ministry of Human and Minority Rights, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Family Care and Demography, Ministry of Health, the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms of Montenegro and the NGO Roditelji.

In her opening speech, Lejla Dervišagić, Head of the Council of Europe Programme Office in Podgorica, expressed her satisfaction that significant activities have been implemented within the project in accordance with the plan, including research on peer violence, cyber violence and violence in schools in Montenegro. She informed the attendees that Montenegro would take over the chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe in November 2026, and that one of the topics that would be addressed during that period is the prevention of peer violence.

In her opening remarks, Vesna Atanasova, Head of Unit in the Education Department of the Council of Europe, stated that the project in Montenegro is part of a broader set of regional initiatives addressing violence prevention. She noted that this regional cooperation and synergy have contributed to the more effective implementation of key activities, such as the research and the adaptation of the online training course for teachers, etc. She particularly emphasised that the research data will be made available to academic and scientific institutions in Montenegro, which will further contribute to the analysis of the phenomenon of violence and the development of solutions for its prevention.

Marija Gošović, Director General of the Directorate for Secondary and Vocational Education, from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation, presented the key activities that the ministry is implementing on the topic of violence prevention in schools. One of the most significant activities is the revision and improvement of the “Instructions to Schools: division of responsibilities and actions for the purpose of prevention and in cases of violence and vandalism” in accordance with child protection standards and operational needs. This activity will be implemented with the support of the Council of Europe.

The meeting provided an opportunity to present the activities carried out since the previous Steering Committee, as well as the work plan for the coming period. . Project officer Milica Kovačević highlighted a number of significant activities including training for the media on the topic of responsible reporting on violence, a Hackathon for high school students, and research. Among the more significant ongoing and planned activities, in addition to the above, are the development of a training programme for school representatives and guidelines for the media.

During the discussion, the participants discussed further joint initiatives that would be useful to improve the work on the prevention of and combating violence in schools.

The project "Prevent bullying and violence in schools in Montenegro" is implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by Germany. The project is being implemented in the period from December 2024 to December 2026.