Vedat, a Roma boy from Gjakova, Kosovo, was born in 1994 and was just five years old when the war erupted in his homeland. He was born with a severe infection in his leg, and due to the immense pain he was experiencing, his father, Fadil Behluli, decided to take him to the hospital one […]

Brendon Berisha was only three years old when he came to Montenegro in 1999. He was born in Kosovo, and since then has had the citizenship of Kosovo. The same applies to the woman with whom they gave birth to their daughter, Elemedina, who was born in 2014 in Montenegro. Shortly after her birth, her […]

In just six months, the Nikšić businessman earned over a million euros from the sale of the administration building and land of the former mining giant, which was almost handed over to him as a gift by the bankruptcy trustee. Workers filed a criminal complaint, but there is no money to pay the outstanding salaries  […]

The court handling the trials of Medenica, Jovanović, Čađenović, Lazović, heads of drug cartels and other defendants accused of high-level corruption and organized crime is not functioning and rarely renders decisions By Maja Boričić  The Special Division of the High Court in Podgorica, responsible for adjudicating of corruption, organized crime and war crimes, has rendered […]

Following the change of government three years ago, deposits held in the bank of the younger Đukanović began to ‘melt away’. The bank has survived thanks to substantial backing from the government, as well as deposits from state-owned enterprises, institutions, local governments and close businessmen. Auditors warned about the company’s uncertain future, while the Central […]

Jegdić has been on trial for six years already, and yet there is still no first-instance decision. How much longer will the trials of Medenica and Jovanić last? Judging by the initial hearings, the wheels of justice will move slowly, if at all. By Maja Boričić The Judicial Council dismissed two judges over 10 years […]

There is no progress in establishing accountability in the judiciary By Maja Boričić Special Prosecutor Saša Čađenović received a disciplinary sanction 11 years ago for arbitrarily taking away a case assigned to another prosecutor while serving as a prosecutor at the Basic State Prosecutor’s Office in Podgorica. Čađenović is currently in prison on charges that […]

Competent institutions assert that the state will crack down on one of the most lucrative illegal businesses in Montenegro, while shifting the blame for failure onto one another By Maja Boričić and Dražen Đurašković Piles of gravel everywhere, machines operating right by the shore, the riverbed expanded, and landslides on both sides of the riverbed, […]

Increasing the number of mediators, raising the legal marriage age to 18, and building shelters for victims of arranged marriages and gender-based violence—these are some of the key recommendations that emerged from the conference "The Position of Girls and Women in the Roma and Egyptian Communities," organized by the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro […]

JOVANA (Anonymous interlocutor) The doctor then told me that I must not give birth anymore since my life was in danger. I gave birth to a lot of children and I had a lot of miscarriages. The doctor told me that I must not give birth anymore. ĐURĐA RADULOVIĆ (Journalist of the Center for Investigative […]

Even the youngest in Podgorica's Roma settlements are exposed to illegal substances, which seriously endanger their health, further hinder socialization and escape from poverty Đurđa RADULOVIĆ I tried marijuana and cocaine at the age of 13, Lejla, a Roma girl (real name known to the editorial office), tells the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro […]

The multiple forms of vulnerability of girls and women from these communities make it difficult to escape from abusers. Shelters are often the only way out. Đurđa RADULOVIĆ "I was forced to get married to a man I didn't love. I was only 17, and he was much older. My husband, my brother-in-law, and my […]

Montenegro currently has just 46 mediators working across social protection, child welfare, employment, healthcare, and education. Although domestic and international organizations have been raising alarms for years about the critical need for more mediators, no government has yet taken meaningful action to address the issue. Andrea Jelic Sanja Selimović serves as a mediator for the […]

Women in these communities live even shorter lives than men due to the hardships they face, despite the fact that women generally have a longer life expectancy than men worldwide.Đurđa RADULOVIĆ "I have diabetes. I get free medication. The doctors told me I need to change my diet completely, but I can't afford to," says […]

The societal divide would be smaller if children had the opportunity to learn about Roma culture. Andrea JELIĆ ... "I ran away to the Netherlands.I gave birth to my tenth child.I had my eleventh child in Sweden.I am forty years old.I speak Romani (my mother tongue), Russian, Slovak, Romanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian, Italian, French, Spanish, […]

LGBT+ Roma are invisible, and thus their existence is somehow denied both in the Roma and the LGBT+ community, says transgender Roma woman Ana Jovanović. The Draft Law on the Protection of Equality and Prohibition of Discrimination recognizes more severe forms of discrimination, including multiple and intersectional discrimination. Miloš RUDOVIĆ Racial discrimination is the first […]

Only two out of 22 final decisions for trafficking refer to begging and arranged marriage Maja BORIČIĆ The crime was committed ruthlessly, especially since the perpetrator is the parent of the injured party. He was convicted before - for violence against his wife and children, selling the youngest child in exchange for a motor vehicle, […]

The Law on Higher Education does not offer affirmative action for Roma and Egyptian students Miloš RUDOVIĆ "I could have been in the fourth year of my studies instead of the first... I almost gave up. I was demotivated and discouraged that I would not be accepted at any university. And I believe that if […]

A LARGE NUMBER OF PREGNANCIES THREATS THE RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF CHOICE AND THE LIVES OF WOMEN FROM THE COMMUNITY Đurđa RADULOVIĆ If I get pregnant again, I could die. That's what the doctors told my husband and me, Milana (32) says for the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG). She got pregnant 11 […]

ALTHOUGH IT IS NOT OFFICIALLY RECORDED HOW MANY PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES LIVE IN THE ROMA AND EGYPTIAN COMMUNITIES, SOME DATA INDICATE THAT THE FIGURES ARE WORRYING AND THE POSITION OF THESE PEOPLE IS VERY DIFFICULT Andrea JELIĆ Eight-year-old twin brothers lie on an old mattress in a dilapidated house in the Podgorica neighborhood of Vrela […]

NO PENALTIES FOR POLITICIANS SPREADING HATE SPEECH - THEY ENCOURAGE DISCRIMINATION AND PREJUDICE Miloš RUDOVIĆ "Scabies," "dirty," and "arrogant garbage collectors" are just some of the comments that Montenegrin students, as well as some politicians, used to describe members of the Roma and Egyptian (RE) nationality. Comments on social networks pose a serious problem, and […]

DATA FROM THE EMPLOYMENT AGENCY SHOWS THAT LAST YEAR ALMOST THE SAME NUMBER OF FEMALE AND MALE MEMBERS FROM THE RE COMMUNITY GOT THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET EMPLOYED. HOWEVER, THE PERCENTAGE OF UNEMPLOYED WOMEN IS ABOUT A SIXTH HIGHER THAN OF MEN FROM THE SAME POPULATION When she got a job as a mediator in […]

MOST OF THE RESPONDENTS (58 PERCENT) THINK THAT LESS KNOWLEDGE IS REQUESTED FROM STUDENTS FROM THE ROMA AND EGYPTIAN COMMUNITY COMPARED TO THE GENERAL POPULATION. SUCH AN APPROACH PUTS THEM IN AN UNFAVORABLE POSITION AND MAKES THEM UNPREPARED - FOR THE LABOR MARKET REGULATION AND FURTHER EDUCATION, THE RESEARCH SHOWS   Due to the prejudices, […]

"THE ISSUE OF TEENAGE PREGNANCIES IS COMMON IN RE COMMUNITY, CONSIDERING THAT CHILD ARRANGEMENT MARRIAGE IS CLOSELY CONNECTED WITH EARLY PREGNANCY, " JOVANA KNEŽEVIĆ, PSYCHOLOGIST FROM THE CENTER FOR ROMA INITIATIVES, STATED Several thousand minors have given birth in the last ten years in Montenegro, among them 14-year-old girls. The interlocutors of the Center for […]

ONLY 11 PERCENT OF "BOŽIDAR VUKOVIĆ PODGORIČANIN" SCHOOL STUDENTS FROM MINORITY POPULATIONS FINISHED THE EIGHTH GRADE THIS SCHOOL YEAR, WHILE 92.30 PERCENT OF RE STUDENTS PASSED THE SAME CLASS LAST YEAR. THE COUNTRY STILL DOES NOT HAVE A FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS OF THE CAUSES AND CONSEQUENCES OF THE FAILURE OF THE SYSTEM Only 11 percent of […]

DESPITE THE RISING ENROLLMENT, QUALITY EDUCATION FOR ROMA CHILDREN IS STILL A KEY ISSUE Almedina is in the seventh grade of an elementary school in Bar. At the request of a journalist from the Center for Investigative Journalism of Montenegro (CIN-CG) to read a paragraph from the book, she reluctantly agrees, warning that she does […]