At the beginning of 2025, proposed amendments to the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities posed a serious threat to the existing rights of persons with disabilities in Montenegro. Published through a public consultation process by the Ministry of Labor, Employment and Social Dialogue, the Draft Law risked reducing acquired rights, deepening stigmatization, and further distancing public policy from international human rights standards, most notably the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
For many, this could have been just another legislative process happening behind closed doors. For the Association of Youth with Disabilities of Montenegro (UMHCG), it was a call to act—immediately and strategically.
Evidence First, Voices at the Centre
Through the project “Act Now for a Secure Tomorrow” (“Djeluj sada za sigurno sjutra“), supported by the SMART Balkans initiative, UMHCG launched a comprehensive advocacy process grounded in evidence, lived experience, and public engagement. The starting point was a thorough analysis of the implementation of the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities between 2009 and 2025.
“The analysis identified systemic shortcomings, inconsistencies with international standards, and financial and institutional gaps, while offering concrete recommendations for improving the legal framework. By relying on deskresearch, freedom of information requests, and consultations with organizations of persons with disabilities, employers, and relevant institutions across Montenegro, the analysis provided strong counterarguments to the justification accompanying the proposed amendments”, the organization concluded.
However, they understood that evidence alone is not enough if it remains on paper.
From Analysis to Participation
To ensure that advocacy efforts reflected real-life experiences, UMHCG organized consultations in the central, northern, and southern regions of Montenegro. Persons with disabilities, employers, and civil society representatives openly shared their experiences with employment, access to rights, and interaction with institutions.
A clear message emerged from these consultations: individual abuses of the system must not be used to stigmatize an entire community or justify the reduction of rights. Instead, accountability should be individualized, while the system itself should be strengthened and made more transparent, accessible, and fair.
These voices were systematically incorporated into the final analysis, ensuring that policy recommendations were shaped not only by legal frameworks, but by everyday realities.
Making Disability Rights a Public Issue
At the same time, UMHCG opened the issue to the wider public. Through intensive media engagement, including television and radio appearances, newspaper articles, online publications, and social media content – the initiative brought the discussion on disability employment out of institutional corridors and into the public sphere:
“What had initially been framed as a technical legislative adjustment became a broader conversation about dignity, equality, and the right of persons with disabilities to participate fully in the labor market. The campaign significantly exceeded its planned media outreach, demonstrating strong public interest and media responsiveness to the issue.”
A Turning Point: The Draft Law Is Withdrawn!
The advocacy efforts reached a critical turning point in April 2025. Following a meeting with representatives of the Government of Montenegro, the Draft Law on Amendments to the Law on Professional Rehabilitation and Employment of Persons with Disabilities was officially withdrawn.
“This was not merely a procedural pause – it was a recognition that the process needed to start over, this time with meaningful participation”, UMHCG stated.
The Ministry subsequently launched a public call for civil society representatives from organizations of persons with disabilities to join a newly established Working Group tasked with drafting a new law. At the initiative of UMHCG, the number of civil society representatives was increased from three to five, strengthening the principle of representation and inclusion.
UMHCG itself was appointed as a member of the Working Group, securing a direct role in shaping future legislation and ensuring that the perspectives of persons with disabilities are embedded in the new legal framework.
Why This Result Matters
The outcomes of the project go far beyond the withdrawal of a single draft law. Persons with disabilities not only retained their existing rights, but gained a seat at the decision-making table. The project strengthened the participation of organizations of persons with disabilities in public policy processes and reaffirmed the importance of aligning national legislation with international human rights standards.
Most importantly, it demonstrated that well-structured, evidence-based advocacy—combined with public engagement and coalition-building—can lead to tangible and sustainable policy change.
“Act Now for a Secure Tomorrow” proved that rights are not protected by waiting for decisions to be made, but by actively shaping them.