The International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is marked on 25 November to commemorate the tragic death of the three Mirabal sisters, political activists murdered under the dictatorial regime in the Dominican Republic in 1960.
Although 63 years have passed since that tragic event, fighting violence against women is still an important social and political topic on both national and global level.
Work on a package of laws to extend the rights of victims
In order to combat violence against women, the Government of the Republic of Croatia and the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration have recognised the need for early detection of bullies, faster prosecution and strict sanctioning.
To this end, a Working Group was set up in September 2022 to consider and improve the overall legislative framework for combating violence against women, including representatives of non-governmental organisations, academia, the State Attorney’s Office and courts.
The results of Working Group are visible in the amendments to the Criminal Procedure Act, the Criminal Code and the Protection against Domestic Violence Act, which propose stricter penalties for bullies and strengthen the victim protection system.
Protocol in Cases of Sexual Violence
The Ministry of Justice and Public Administration participates in the work of the Interdepartmental Working Group for Monitoring the Implementation of the National Plan for Gender Equality 2022-2027 and the Action Plan for the Implementation of the National Plan until 2024.
The Ministry also participates in the work of the Commission for Monitoring the Implementation of the Protocol in Cases of Sexual Violence, as one of the most serious forms of violence against women and violations of the human rights of women.
That is why the Protocol is an extremely important act which constitutes a comprehensive response by state authorities to the phenomenon of sexual violence in the form of standardised and effective assistance and support to victims of sexual violence.
The first protocol was adopted in 2012, and was updated in 2014 and 2018.
The latest Protocol, which contains novelties in the form of elaboration of procedural steps when victims of sexual violence are children, was adopted at the Government session on 7 September 2023.
Specialisation for judges and civil servants working on domestic violence cases
In addition to the three laws mentioned above, amendments to the Courts Act have been proposed, laying down the requirements for judges authorised to work on domestic violence cases. In other words, the so-called specialisation for judges and civil servants is introduced.
It is a measure envisaged by the Action Plan accompanying the National Plan for Gender Equality 2022- 2027.
The key to a successful fight against violence lies in a continuous training of experts dealing with the problem of violence. The Judicial Academy has thus far delivered a total of 28 workshops, four trainings and two seminars under the EU project “Helpline” as well as an e-course from the HELP programme “Combating violence against women”. 736 participants from the ranks of judges, state attorneys, deputy state attorneys, probation and police officers participated in the training.
116-006 free helpline for victims 24/7 - change starts with a call
The National Call Centre for Victims of Crimes and Misdemeanours was established in 2013 as a project of the Victim and Witness Support Service Croatia, created in cooperation with the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), making the Republic of Croatia the fifth European country to introduce a free European standard helpline for victim and witness support - 116 006.
Since 2020, the helpline has been available to victims and witnesses 24/7. For more information, see
here.
Assistance through victim and witness support systems
All victims and witnesses of violence can seek help through the
Service for Victim and Witness Support of the Ministry of Justice and Public Administration.
Victim support is also provided by departments established at county courts in Zagreb, Vukovar, Osijek, Zadar, Split, Sisak, Rijeka, Karlovac and Šibenik, and the procedure of establishment of new departments in all the remaining county courts as well as the Municipal Criminal Court in Zagreb and the Municipal Court in Split is underway.
Furthermore, family departments have been established at 16 municipal courts as of 1 March, and an electronic register was established for all court judgements related to domestic violence and violence against women.
Amendments in the field of criminal legislation represent a significant step forward in the continuous fight against violence against women and domestic violence. This is a global problem that needs to be addressed as a joint effort.
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