Prevention of Elder Abuse | Rights of the Elderly

Project "PREVENTION OF ELDERLY ABUSE"

The mission of Caritas is to be actively committed to social progress, physical, spiritual, psychological and social well-being, to create social justice and to improve the quality of life in different areas.

In this sense, Caritas implemented activities through social services, youth work, health, education and training, emergency assistance to people in need, the development of civil society and the development of social economy.

Every month, through various projects, help is provided for over 2500 beneficiaries.

In order to improve the quality of life of elderly, Caritas BN has implemented projects in the field of protection of their rights for many years. So in the last ten years, six projects in the field of care for the elderly were implemented.

In order to improve their lives and promote their rights, Caritas has launched another project this year - Prevention of elderly abuse - due to the fact that the occurrence of domestic violence has become one of the major problems of modern families.

Elderly abuse has become a serious social and health problem because it is a violation of one of the basic human rights and it prevents these persons to live with dignity and to participate in normal social and cultural life.

The planned duration of the project is two years, activities will be implemented in the territory of four municipalities: Bar, Podgorica, Cetinje and Danilovgrad. Partner in the project is Caritas Czech Republic and the project is co-financed from the EU funds.

The project will include some of the major problems when it comes to the abuse of elderly persons:

Weak capacities of institutions and NGOs in the field of protection of the rights of elderly people and prevent their abuse;
Low social participation and political representation of abused or neglected elderly people;
A small space on the political scene and public debates about topics that protect the rights of older people and vulnerable groups;
Insufficient cooperation between sectors and between governmental and non-governmental bodies in this field;
The stigma that exists in our society towards elderly people which makes their social inclusion even harder.

The project aims to strengthen the capacity building of the Montenegrin NGO sector and promote their significant efforts in areas relating to the protection of the rights the elderly. It is planned that technical capacities of 20 non-governmental organizations are improved thanks to the training and exchange of experiences with other local, national and EU NGOs. Training provided for the project will cover and strengthen all major aspects of the NGO organizations: the quality of internal management, the ability to write projects and search for funds, advocacy and lobbying, training on the rights of the elderly. As a result, the Montenegrin NGOs will be motivated and enabled to increase their role and participation in decision-making when it comes to social protection and human rights.

The project also aims to improve social participation and political representation of the elderly in Montenegro. Therefore, at the same time, skills and motivation of the elderly people and their families will be enhanced, through their active participation in meetings and training sessions and during the implementation of the entire this project.

Working groups will consist of representatives of NGOs, government institutions, the elderly and their families, professionals in the field of health and social issues, media representatives and others interested in this field, and will address the formation of policy in this area at the local level. The formation of these teams is the first expected result of the project and an innovative approach that aims to improve cooperation between public institutions and civil sectors and services, organizations working with older people.

Goals of the Project

To spread the knowledge about the existence of abuse of the elderly, educate and inform the public so that everyone can recognize the violence and prevent it;
Strengthen the work of NGOs in the field of care for the elderly and allow them to become active participants in social and political life;
Create new opportunities for the NGOs to get involved in decision-making processes and to promote the establishment of a dialogue with the government sector;
To promote the social reintegration of the elderly in Montenegro.

Target Groups

20 NGOs dealing with the problems of older people and the protection of human rights in general;
100 elderly people whose rights are threatened.

Expected results

Expanded and improved domain of activities of 20 NGOs working with vulnerable groups, especially with the elderly;
Improving knowledge and skills of about 100 employees in the NGO sector;
A more comprehensive and effective system of care for the elderly in Montenegro;
Raised awareness about the rights of the elderly in Montenegro.