PODGORICA, Montenegro (AP) — Dozens of women braved cold weather to spend Thursday night outside Montenegro’s government headquarters in protest of cuts in state aid for mothers of three or more children — part of the government’s austerity measures.
Financial help for some 21,500 women in Montenegro has been slashed by twenty-five percent amid efforts to tighten public spending. About half of the women on the list are jobless.
The protesters on Friday demanded the government reverse its decision. They argued the state should save money elsewhere before reducing aid for mothers.
Some of the women sat covered with blankets on the stairs in front of riot police guarding the government offices in downtown Podgorica, the capital.
“I’ll stay here until I die, if necessary,” said Radojka Vuksanovic, an unemployed mother of four. “I have nothing to lose.”
Desanka Stojanovic, who has three children, added that “we didn’t ask for aid, they gave it to us and now they are taking it away.”
Montenegro’s economy has been weak despite recent progress in the Balkan country’s efforts at joining NATO and the European Union.
Hundreds of protesters broke through metal fences set by police Thursday. They held banners reading “Gentlemen from the government, beware of the women — mothers” or “Our children are hungry.”
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
