ZAGREB, 16 April 2022 - Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities Anka Slonjšak has warned that in 2021 there was a rising number of incidents in which children with disabilities were exposed to discriminatory speech and that some of those cases that outraged the public, criminal proceedings were launched.

"We have warned about the cases of hate and prejudicial speech," Slonjšak said in her annual report.

In one of those cases, a child with autistic spectrum disorder was told to leave a patisserie in the town of Samobor with the explanation that "such children belong to the woods". In another case, a mother and her daughter with Down Syndrome had to leave a cafe in Zadar as they "are damaging the reputation of the cafe."

Some incidents of this kind have been the reason to press charges against bullies whose behaviour outraged the public.

The Office of Ombudsman for Persons with Disabilities monitors and promotes the rights of over 612,000 persons with disabilities, including 30,000 students with developmental disorders.

In 2021, a number of complaints lodged with the Office increased by a fifth compared to 2020.

Most complaints referred to the conduct of social welfare (502), while 329 referred to difficulties in employment and on the labour market, and 280 concerned access and mobility.

COVID takes lives of 2,500 disabled persons

During the COVID pandemic almost 110,000 of them caught coronavirus, according to the statistics kept until 9 March 2022, and approximately 2,500 died from the infection, while in Croatia so far about this infection has taken over 16,000 lives. 

The pandemic has led to the degradation of the rights of disabled citizens, the Ombudsman warns.

ZAGREB, 3 Dec 2021 - Associations for people with disabilities on Friday called for a law that will regulate social housing and ensure a sufficient number of flats for the disabled who cannot pay market rent prices.

On the occasion of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, several associations, supported by the disability ombudsman, forwarded an appeal to the government for a law to be adopted on social housing which is something they have been calling for, for years.

Croatia does not have any organised housing for disabled persons or any regulations in that regard. The associations said that over the past few years, several social measures were adopted but without any significant positive impact.

"Flat rent prices have increased and many beneficiaries of guaranteed minimum allowances have been on waiting lists for public housing for years," Marica Mirić said on behalf of the associations.

It is much harder for disabled persons to afford housing or rentals and often they are discriminated against.

State real-estate should be earmarked for social housing

Findings of a survey, conducted among people with disabilities about housing, were presented today.

They show that 97.5% of the respondents believe that the state should adopt an appropriate legal framework for social housing while 84.2% said that "their needs have partially, or not been satisfied in light of their earnings in households."

Too low an income as an obstacle regarding housing issues was cited by 51.1% of respondents while 61% said that up to HRK 1,000 a month would be an acceptable price for rent.

As much as 66.7% consider that Croatia needs to build more social housing units and 60.5% consider that state-owned real-estate should be earmarked for social housing.

European Commission and Parliament: Finance social housing

The European Commission's Strategy for the rights of persons with disabilities 2021-2030 calls on member states to promote and ensure financing for appropriate social housing that takes account of disability issues including elderly disabled persons, and to deal with the problems faced by the homeless and disabled persons.

Last year saw a rapid increase in real-estate prices hence accessibility to affordable housing continues to be a challenge.

The European Parliament has called on member states to recognise appropriate housing to be a fundamental human right and that this should be incorporated in legislation.

An online international panel discussion was held to mark the international day of the disabled presenting a comparison of housing opportunities for the disabled in Croatia, the EU and the region.

It was said that housing in Croatia is implemented through existing laws and that it would be worthwhile to adopt a comprehensive law at the national level.

Croatia doesn't treat social housing as a fundamental human right

Gojko Bežovan from the Zagreb Faculty of Law underscored that Croatia has ignored the issue of social housing. We have strategies in all other fields except for social housing which is a fundamental human right, he said.

He underscored that the EU, like Serbia, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina all have laws on social housing and other regulations in that regard. 

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ZAGREB, 26 Nov 2021 -  After conducting a successful crowdfunding campaign, the social enterprise Da-Mogu has launched a webshop at www.damogu.org where knitted hats can be bought, the company reported on Friday.

The crowdfunding campaign was recently conducted to help persons with low employability, notably those most affected by the coronavirus pandemic, find employment, specifically by knitting, "which empowers and lifts spirits."

Since the launching of this initiative, 19 knitters have joined to design caps and launch production.

The enterprise deals with handicrafts and is part of a slow fashion movement aimed at caring for social aspects, quality material, protecting mankind, the environment and animals.

It advocates employing people who have difficulty in finding employment such as the disabled, elderly and people seeking first employment.

The crowdfunding campaign has ensured finances to employ two disabled knitters and by exiting on the market the enterprise hopes to employ other knitters.

The project has included beneficiaries at the Zagreb centre for the elderly and disabled and so far ten knitters from continental Croatia have been included in the project. Several professional knitters contribute by providing additional training and stockpiles in cases of increased demand.

"With time we hope to include knitters from other areas of Croatia, and perhaps beyond, the enterprise director Tatjana Aćimović said.

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