The Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI) has invited citizens to report the cases of violation of the law of restriction of use of tobacco products via the ‘’No smoking’’ app, and the majority of reports received so far refer to specific hospitality facilities and institutions.
That was stated at a press conference hosted by the Center for Monitoring and Research (CeMI) regarding the introduction of the app, which we have developed in cooperation with the NGO Juventas with the support of the World Health Organization.
President of the Governing Board of CeMI Zlatko Vujovic has said that they have developed the app inspired by earlier experience with apps that had a goal to include the citizens in the control of certain problems in the society, such as election irregularities, corruption in health care and the rights of patients.
‘’The app, which is available via websites www.zabranjenopusenjeme and www.disislobodno.me and for Android users also in Google Play store, allows citizens who possess information, to in a simple way report violation of the law through this app’’ Vujovic stated.
He explained that citizens, after visiting the website, select a city and a location at which a violation of law had been noticed, and in the comment section provide brief details about the violation of law.
‘’Apart from that, the app offers the possibility of sending photos, audio recordings and other evidence that prove the cases of use of tobacco products in forbidden places, but they will not be publicly available, unlike the report, in order not to break certain regulations. The citizens will be able to via the app follow the reaction of inspection bodies and the status of the report itself’’ said Vujovic.
He pointed out that in a certain period the application of the law about the restriction of use of tobacco products was very efficient because there were very high fines both for the owners of hospitality facilities and for the consumers of tobacco products.
‘’However, we are now witnesses of that this law is basically not being applied, as well of that the violation of the regulations regulated by this act is very extensive. Because of that we want to, together with the citizens, prevent further violation of this law’’ said Vujovic.
The Head of the CeMI Legal Department, Vladimir Simonovic has said that they have received 49 reports from citizens from 22nd to 27th of December through the app.
‘’That in one hand indicates that the level of engagement of our citizens in the fight for life in a healthier environment is high, but on the other hand a high step of violation of the regulations which restrict the use of tobacco products in closed spaces as well’’ stated Simonovic.
He indicated that the majority of reports, 15 of them, arrived from Podgorica, after which Pljevlja follow with nine reports, Niksic with seven, Rozaje with five, Budva with three, while two each have been noted from Cetinje, Herceg Novi and Kolasin, and one each from Bijelo Polje, Danilovgrad, Tivat and Ulcinj.
‘’It is interesting that out of the total number of reports, 40 of them refer to the use of tobacco products in specific hospitality facilities. That indicates that, as we could assume, the majority of the violations is focused on hospitality facilities. These reports, actually refer to 48 hospitality facilities, because some of the citizens have in a single report reported multiple facilities. Also, some hospitality facilities have been reported multiple times’’ said Simonovic.
According to his words, nine report refer to state authorities, local self-government bodies and public enterprises, stating that that indicates a need for increase of awareness about the importance of respecting the law between all institutions.
‘’I want to also draw attention to that some citizens have in their reports stated that the law is being violated in nearly all or even all hospitality facilities in their respective cities. I would like to encourage the citizens to make their reports as specific as possible, so the authorities could take action accordingly’’ Simonovic pointed out.
He explained that detailed data and specific information are of crucial importance for an efficient control by the inspection bodies and for identification and sanctioning of the specific cases of law violation.
‘’I would like to use this opportunity to again invite all citizens to download the ‘’No smoking’’ app from Google Play store or to access the mentioned app via the website www.zabranjenopusenje.me or www.disislboodno.me, said Simonovic.