Law students who successfully completed the online course on Violence against women and domestic violence were awarded their certificates on 25 May 2021. The course developed by the Council of Europe Programme for Human Rights Education for Legal Professionals (HELP) was taken by the students who participate in human rights legal clinic.

Over the period of two months, with tutors’ assistance, 24 law students have broadened their knowledge on relevant international standards safeguarding the rights of victims of domestic violence. Even though the course is very demanding, the students managed to dedicate time and energy, and demonstrated high levels of knowledge and legal reasoning. The young generation of human rights lawyers in Montenegro is thereby showing their readiness to assume their professional role in the society.

The course itself covers the key concepts, the international and European legal framework and case law governing the prevention and protection of women and girls from violence, focusing in particular on the Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and Combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence (Istanbul Convention). Furthermore, the course provides legal professionals with practical tools for dealing with cases of violence against women and domestic violence with respect to human rights via a victim-centred approach.

The human rights legal clinics were established with the support of the action "Improved procedural safeguards in judicial proceedings in Montenegro", which is a part of the joint European Union and Council of Europe programme “Horizontal Facility for the Western Balkans and Turkey 2019-2022”.