COMMUNITY BUILDING PROGRAM

The main objective of the program: Empowering transgender and gender-variant persons for adequate access to human rights
Specific goals:
– Provision of social services to transgender and gender-variant persons (self-support group, peer counseling, support for victims of violence and in cases of discrimination)
– Educating transgender and gender variant people for human rights activism
– Easier access to institutions and system services
The most significant results achieved :
– During 2017, 28 trans and gender-variant people were supported through social services
– During 2018, support for over 40 trans and gender variants was provided through social services
– During 2019, 57 trans and gender-variant people were supported through social services
– Through social services, support has been provided to trans women, trans men, non-binary and gender-variant persons, people living with HIV, sex workers, victims of domestic violence, the poor, people from rural areas, asylum seekers / refugees, people and displaced persons, as well as persons belonging to ethnic minorities.
– Establishment of a self-support group service, which is held once a week and brings together up to 20 trans and gender-variant people continuously, aiming to create a safe space for the empowerment of trans people in the group.
– Peer counseling is conducted 2 times a week by 2 trans activists, as well as through social networks and online tools, and through this service information on transition, human rights, mechanisms of protection against violence, as well as support in self-acceptance, transphobia, ways of reporting discrimination and other topics of importance.
– Continuation of facilitation of contact with healthcare professionals in the transition process, support in reporting violence as a confidential person, support in court processes, support in accessing the social protection system
– Supporting transgender and gender-variant persons in reporting and prosecuting cases of violence as a confidential person
– Implemented a series of workshops aimed at educating and empowering trans and gender variant activists
– Implemented a series of accredited trainings for trans and gender variant persons to raise capacity for activism, including accredited training such as:
❖ The Live Library by the Pedagogical Center
❖ “Basic Training Program for Professional Workers, Professional Associates and Members of Multidisciplinary Teams for Protection against Domestic Violence and Violence against Children” by SOS Podgorica
❖ “Coach Training” by the Pedagogical Center
❖ „My Values and Virtues“ by the Pedagogical Center and the Institute for Education

 

PUBLIC ADVOCACY PROGRAM

 

The main objective of the program is to contribute to the creation of laws and policies that will fully respect the human rights of transgender, gender-diverse and inter-sex persons.
Specific goals:
1. Advocacy for legal recognition of gender based on self-determination
2. Advocacy for the depatologization of transgender identities and intersex persons
3. Advocating for respect for physical and personal integrity in all spheres of life, and abolishing medical interventions against intersex persons without informed consent
4. Advocacy for creating an adequate social and health care system for transgender, gender-variant and inter-sex persons
5. Advocacy for achieving social equality of transgender, gender-variant and intersex persons in montenegrin society
The most significant results achieved:
– Contributing to the drafting of the Law on Gender and Sex Identity, presented in front of the organizations Institute for Legal Studies, NGO Juventas and Queer Montenegro;
– Organizing meetings with the Ministries (M. for Human and Minority Rights, M. Justice, M. for European Integration, M. Labor and Social Welfare, M. Health, M. Internal Affairs), and the Institutions of the Protector of Human and Minority Rights, for the sake of launching a discussion on the process of creating the Gender Identity Law
– Participation in various conferences, panels and discussions aimed at representing the human rights of transgender people
– – Created a shadow report on the implementation of Recommendations of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe REC / CM (2010) 5 on combating discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in Montenegro and submitted to the Council of Europe
– Contributing to the creation of the Transgender Health Commission within the CHCM
– Signed Memorandums about cooperation with the Public Health Center Podgorica and Clinical Hospital Center of Montenegro (CHCM)
– Participation in the work of the Trust Team of the Police Directorate and the LGBTI community
Participation in the work of the National Team for Coordination of Monitoring the Implementation of the Strategy for Improving the Quality of Life of LGBTI Persons in Montenegro for the Period 2019 – 2023
– Addressing systemic discrimination issues, the most significant of which are the following reported discrimination cases:
❖ Violation of the right of a trans woman to change her personal name in documents by the Ministry of the Interior (Case received a positive recommendation by the Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms), in cooperation with Queer Montenegro
❖ Violation of the right to privacy of a trans woman at the Public Health Center Podgorica (The case received a positive recommendation from the Institution of the Protector of Human Rights and Freedoms, and a meeting was organized, followed by cooperation with the Public Health Center)
❖ The case of violence against trans woman in September 2017, concluded with the first judgment of hate crimes in February 2019, in cooperation with the Center for Women’s Rights, which has provided free legal aid

PUBLIC RELATIONS PROGRAM

The main objective of the program is to raise the visibility and awareness of the human rights of transgender, gender-diverse and inter-sex people.
Specific goals:
1. Achieving a high degree of visibility of trans, gender-variant and intersex persons in the public sphere of Montenegro
2. Raised awareness of problems, topics and human rights of trans, intersex and gender-variant persons in Montenegro
3. Reducing the degree of transphobia and interphobia in the institutions of the system as well as the general public
Results achieved:
– Increased number of publicly visible trans and gender variant persons in society (Visible 11 trans and gender variant persons)
– increased number of media reports on trans and inter topics
– Enhanced reporting among trans journalists on trans and inter topics
– 8 videos created and published in which trans and gender variant persons talk about their experiences (one video aired in the Morning program RTCG);
– the first exhibition of photos of trans persons „Vidljivie“ created to mark the International Day of Visibility of Trans People;
– created a website http://www.asocijacijaspektra.org.
– created an exhibition of photos of trans people and women „Kad svane“ on the 8th of March, and presented to the public within the 8th of March program of the Center for Women’s Rights and NGO ANIMA
– Organized performance of „Masks“ on Independence Square on the occasion of International Day of Remembrance of Transfobia Victims 17.11.2018. as part of Montenegro Pride Week, as the first public gathering of trans people in Podgorica
– Organized performance of „Maske“ in Kolasin within the pride month of Montenegro Pride 2019, as the first public gathering of trans people in Kolasin
– Organized V Transposium in Zagreb (the only regional event that brings together trans, inter and gender variant persons) in cooperation with Trans Aid and the Trans Balkan Network
– The first Balkan Trans Inter March organized in Zagreb – the first Pride Parade of transgender, gender-diverse and intersex people in the Balkans, in cooperation with Trans Aid and the Trans-Balkan Network
– Live Library organized 4 times – on Independence Square on the occasion of European Independent Living Day in cooperation with the Association of Youth with Disabilities; at KIC Podgorica, as part of the Pride Week Montenegro Montenegro Pride 2018; at the Petrovic Castle Park on the occasion of IDAHOBIT 2019; in front of the library „Radosav Ljumovic“ to mark the month of pride, in cooperation with Queer Montenegro
– Performance “331 Reasons“ organized in Podgorica to commemorate International Day of Remembrance of Transfobia Victims 2019.

EDUCATION PROGRAM

The aim of the program is to raise the level of knowledge and awareness of the human rights of transgender, gender-variant and intersex persons among institutions, political parties, decision-makers, and other interested parties.

Results achieved:
– Spectra activists were educators on trainings organized by NGO Queer Montenegro and NGO Juventas for medical workers, police officers, educators, social workers, journalists and psychologists
– 6 workshops were held for high school students in Podgorica, Danilovgrad, Kotor and Herceg Novi through cooperation with NGO Center for Civic Education
– Presentation of the first research on discrimination against transgender and gender-variant students in secondary schools in Montenegro “Da odzvoni nasilju”, and created guidelines for secondary schools to create a safe environment for gender diversity
– Cooperation with the Mirko Vesovic School