Montenegro

Montenegro hosts groups of people who were displaced by the Balkan Wars of the 1990s, most of whom are Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptians (RAE). Multiple treaty bodies and the UPR have noted Montenegrin authorities’ frequent failure to issue birth certificates for RAE children. Treaty bodies also noted the difficulties that displaced/refugee women faced in accessing permanent residency. CERD (2014) expressed concern about the difficulty internally displaced RAE persons encounter in obtaining personal documents required to apply for the status of foreigner. Being unable to regularize their status leaves parents unable to register their children. The CAT (2014) expressed concerns that Montenegrin authorities had been pursuing repatriation, voluntary return, or resettlement in a third country as the main solutions for displaced persons.