Minister Habijan: When it comes to prevention of violence, especially against vulnerable groups in society, we must and can do better

Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation Damir Habijan participated in the ceremony marking the National Day of Combating Violence against Women, held in the premises of the Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb.

"Today I wish to convey the message that violence will not be tolerated, which we have made clear with the recent amendments to a package of laws - the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Act and the Protection against Domestic Violence Act - as a result of an open dialogue of the Government of the Republic of Croatia with the academic community, civil society organisations, the State Attorney's Office and the courts", Minister Habijan said at the beginning of his address.

Individuals from the system as well as those outside it were involved in the consideration of the overall legislative framework in order to establish the main deficiencies of the system based on years of practical experience in the field of violence against women, and successfully revise the provisions that have proven to be problematic in practice.

Minister Habijan recalled the concrete steps taken by the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation to combat all forms of violence, notably violence against women.

In particular, a new criminal offense of aggravated murder of a female person (femicide) was introduced in the general provisions of the Criminal Code, which will not be time-barred and will be punished by ten years’ to long-term imprisonment, and a definition of gender-based violence was adopted.

Emphasizing that violence was inadmissible, Minister Habijan put focus on prevention and joint cooperation of public authorities with associations, civil society organizations and providers of social services of general interest as one of the key ways to combat the problem.

"The legislative changes we have recently introduced demonstrate the political will to combat violence against women. Higher penalties for offenders, their stricter and faster sanctioning and a system aimed at empowering victims are the main features of the new, improved and higher quality legislative framework that will, I am convinced, result in more successful combating of violence against women”, said Minister Habijan.

"In memory of the victims, I take this sad opportunity to remind and send a clear message that all of us - individuals, the society and the system - are tasked with creating a safe society, a society of zero tolerance to violence, and we can engage in its prevention starting now - by education, recognition of violence in our environment and taking appropriate steps", the Minister concluded.
 
Apart from Minister Habijan, the commemoration was attended by President of the Republic of Croatia Zoran Milanović, President of the Supreme Court Radovan Dobronić, Minister of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Marin Piletić and President of the Municipal Civil Court in Zagreb Petra Kušević Fraculj, among others.

The National Day of Combating Violence against Women is marked in memory of judge Ljiljana Hvalec, attorney Hajra Prohić and Gordana Oraškić, three women murdered in court during divorce proceedings by former police officer Mato Oraškić on 22 September 1999.