ZAGREB, 10 Dec 2021 - On the occasion of Human Rights Day, NGOs warned of a low level of social and economic rights in Croatia and called for the improvement of public services and for reconstruction of earthquake-struck areas to be accelerated.
"Healthcare, social welfare, housing and education have to be accessible to everyone. Public services need reliable support which inevitably includes long-term public investments and progressive taxation so as not to deepen the social inequality," the NGOs said in a press release.
The associations particularly highlighted the absence of strategic documents for marginalised groups such as the homeless or refugees.
Workers' rights deteriorated, inaccessible and inadequate healthcare
They warned that for years labour rights have deteriorated, and of inaccessible and inadequate healthcare, a poor social welfare system, absence of policies to enable secure housing and to remove inequality in access to education.
The corona crisis made all these problems more pronounced, they said.
Labour conditions in many sectors have been worsened and jobs are insecure while the health system could not care simultaneously both for COVID patients and other patients, which jeopardised the right to health, they added.
The social welfare system does not have enough capacities to resolve burning issues and to ensure protection for the most vulnerable groups.
Gov't inept for earthquake reconstruction
Another acute problem is the "terribly slowness, incapability and unwillingness of government to start rebuilding in earthquake-hit areas."
Most people have been left to their own devices, particularly in central Croatia and they will be spending at least one more winter in inadequate conditions.
They noted the importance of the Future is Public manifest, which has been signed by 200 organisations around the world seeking public services that will meet individual and collective needs and reduce inequality and will protect the dignity of all members of society.
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