ZAGREB, 18 February 2021 - The Social Democratic Party (SDP) parliamentary group has called on the government to secure systematic financing for shelters for victims of domestic violence and to finally put forward a national strategy for gender equality as Croatia has not had one since 2015.
"(PM Andrej) Plenković has forgotten that slightly more than two years since the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, we still do not have shelters in each of our regions, to which the Convention obliges us," SDP MP Sabina Glasovac told a news conference in the parliament.
Of the six shelters which the government pledged to open by the end of 2019, only one has been opened, she said.
"There are no counselling centres for women-victims of domestic violence either. It is a fact that penalties for domestic violence have been made stricter but due to insufficient education courts continue delivering the most lenient sentences, regardless of whether they rule on domestic violence as a misdemeanor or a criminal offence," Glasovac warned.
She went on to say that the government had turned to EU structural funds for financing for a sufficient number of places in regional shelters, noting that the problem with that type of financing is that it lasts only three years so there is no guarantee there will be funding for those shelters to continue operating after three years.
It is true that a toll-free helpline has been introduced for victims of domestic violence but there is a lack of measures to help the victims in the context of increased violence caused by the coronavirus crisis, she said, adding that there was also no progress in school education about domestic violence.
"We expect the government to secure systematic financing for shelters to help people who work with victims of domestic violence. I also call on the government to finally put forward a national gender equality policy as Croatia has not had one since 2015, which bears witness to the government and PM Plenković's attitude to women in Croatia and their problems," said Glasovac.
PM: 25 shelters for domestic violence victims
A few days ago, during a ceremony of awarding a HRK 11.7 million grant from the European Social Fund for the establishment of a safe house for domestic violence victims in Dubrovnik, PM Plenković said that domestic violence "is a serious problem of the Croatian society".
"We have 25 shelters with 346 beds for domestic violence victims. Unfortunately, a half of their capacity is occupied, which means that the problem is conspicuous. We must do our best to eradicate it," Plenković said.
