National Day of Combating Violence against Women

The day is marked on 22 September in memory of judge Ljiljana Hvalec, attorney Hajra Prohić and Gordana Oraškić, the three women a former police officer murdered at the Zagreb Municipal Court during divorce proceedings in 1999

By amending a package of laws - the Criminal Code, the Criminal Procedure Act and the Protection against Domestic Violence Act - last year, the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation sent a clear message that violence would not be tolerated. 

The amendments were 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. Since then, there have been further amendments.

The latest amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act introduce an obligation for the police to inform victims of domestic violence offences about the release of arrested persons and detainees.

In addition, there is an ongoing effort to speed up court proceedings and reduce backlog. For this reason, the Action Plan 2025-2027 was recently adopted, containing a number of measures to speed up court proceedings.

‘In criminal proceedings, apart from the legislative amendments, we are introducing sound recording of hearings to record authentic statements and testimonies, and to speed up trials. We plan to introduce this by 1 July 2027, as it is a technically complex process that requires special equipment for all 1,317 courtrooms, as well as the training of judges and IT specialists in judicial bodies’, announced Minister Habijan. 

The planned amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act will accelerate criminal proceedings, increase their efficiency and protect the interests of both the victim and the defendant. 

A stronger victim protection system 

The Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation has taken concrete steps to combat all forms of violence, in particular violence against women. A new offence has been introduced - aggravated murder of a woman (femicide), punishable by 10 years’ to long-term imprisonment. 

The punishment for the criminal offence of rape has also been increased, so the basic form of this criminal offence is punishable by a sentence of three to eight years in prison, instead of the previous one to five years’ imprisonment, while a qualifying form is punishable by five to twelve years in prison, instead of the previous three to 10 years.

For the first time, a minimum distance for a restraining order was defined, set to a minimum of 50 metres. 

Criminal justice policy has also been tightened in the sense of reducing the scope for imposing alternative penalties such as community service and suspended sentences, and extending the term ‘close person’ to current or former intimate partners.

These legislative amendments demonstrate the existence of political will to combat violence against women. Stricter penalties for abusers, their faster sanctioning and a system aimed at empowering victims are the main features of a new and improved legislative framework.

Decision on the replacement of precautionary measures by pre-trial detention

In order to strengthen the victim's safety, anonymity has been ensured, i.e. the obligation of confidentiality of personal data, the disclosure of which could endanger the safety of the victim and their loved ones.

Furthermore, when imposing precautionary measures, judges must take into account the victim’s individual assessment of the risk of harm to them or persons close to them.

In addition, the grounds for arrest are extended when there are reasonable grounds to suspect that a violent offender has violated a precautionary measure. If the precautionary measures are violated, a decision will be made within 24 hours to replace the precautionary measures with pre-trial detention.

The Criminal Procedure Act has been further amended to strengthen the rights of victims. The victim now has access to support services from the moment of commission of crime and for as long as they feel the need for support.

The victim also has the right to be accompanied by a person of trust of their choice from reporting the crime to the final conclusion of the criminal proceedings, as well as the right to appeal against a decision ordering, extending or lifting precautionary measures.

Sexual harassment prosecuted as a criminal offence

The amendments to the Protection against Domestic Violence Act have increased the penalties for all forms of violence against women.

Sexual harassment has been abolished as a misdemeanor and is prosecuted only as a criminal offence, and all violators of protective measures are to be punished with imprisonment for at least 10 days.

The composition of the Commission monitoring and improving criminal and misdemeanour proceedings was increased from 11 to 15 members, and representatives of the academic community, the Office of the Ombudswoman for Gender Equality and representatives of civil society dealing with the issue of domestic violence have been included in its work.

A new Victim and Witness Support Department was established at the Municipal Criminal Court in Zagreb, which started operating on 15 September 2025. 

Institutional assistance to victims and witnesses of crime is provided by the Division for Victim and Witness Support of the Ministry of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, as the coordinator of the entire system, and 16 victim and witness support departments established at 14 county courts in Zagreb, Zadar, Osijek, Sisak, Split, Vukovar, Rijeka, Šibenik, Karlovac, Bjelovar, Slavonski Brod, Pula, Varaždin and Velika Gorica, and at two municipal courts - the Municipal Court in Split and the mentioned Municipal Criminal Court in Zagreb. 

The victim and witness support system combines institutional assistance with civil society support. The mentioned court departments are operational in nature and as such are in constant contact with victims of crime. From May 2008 to December 2024, the Victim and Witness Support Departments provided support to 56,036 victims and witnesses.

To make the work of courts in the context of protection of women against violence as efficient as possible, the specialisation of judges for cases pf domestic violence and violence against women was introduced. 

Judges and civil servants handling such cases must demonstrate a strong propensity for such work and undergo regular professional training.

116 006 free helpline for victims 24/7 - change starts with a call

The National Call Centre for Victims of Crime and Misdemeanours was established in 2013 in cooperation with the Victim and Witness Support Service, the Ministry of Justice and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), making Croatia the fifth European country to introduce a free standardised number for victim and witness support - 116 006.

As of 2020, the line is available to victims and witnesses 24/7. 

By tightening penalties and providing more rights for victims in proceedings, we have been working towards the goal of a safe society, a society of zero tolerance to violence, which recognises the abuser in the environment and takes appropriate steps. Responsibility lies with all of us. 

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