We look to build society with trustworthy institutions, zero tolerance on violence and perpetrators being punished

Freedom from violence is a right, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković said on Wednesday at the conference "An Integrated Approach to Protection from Violence against Women and Domestic Violence", noting that there was a political will in Croatia to fight violence against women and domestic violence.

Freedom from violence is a right which in the context of violence against women has to do with women's right to exercise their civic, political, economic and all other rights and liberties, Plenković said in an introductory speech at the conference, organised by the Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy Ministry on the occasion of the National Day of combating violence against women.

Eradicating discrimination, inequality and stereotypes precondition for prevention of violence

"Eradicating discrimination, inequality between women and men and harmful stereotypes is a precondition for preventing violence. That is not and cannot be an ideological issue," Plenković said.

Families are not destroyed by terms from the Istanbul Convention but by violence behind closed doors, while a part of society is pretending not to see and hear it, Plenković said, stressing that there is a political will to fight violence against women and domestic violence.

"I am aware that will alone is not sufficient, just as the measures we have taken so far are not sufficient. But I believe that those measures are an indicator that we want to change things for the better, to build a society in which institutions are trusted, violence is not tolerated and perpetrators are punished," he said.

The National Day of combating violence against women, 22 September, was introduced to commemorate the murders which took place on this day in 1999.

On 22 September 1999, during a divorce hearing at the Zagreb Municipal Court, Mato Oraškić killed his wife Gordana, her attorney Hajra Prohić and judge Ljiljana Hvalec as well as wounding court reporter Sanja Cvetković.

Plenković said that more than 20 years since the crime, it remained equally horrible and incomprehensible for the victims' families and devastating for the system in which it occurred.

Violence rises amid silence about problem 

The PM went on to say that the topic had been only occasionally dealt with by various governments and parties in power and in the opposition, noting that the problem had been swept under the carpet while all the time the amount of violence had risen.

The incumbent government's approach and will to fight violence has finally put the topic in the centre of public attention, Plenković said, pointing to cooperation with civil society organisations and the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.

Plenković said the government recognised and appreciated the experience and contribution of nongovernmental organisations, which had been vocal and persistent and worked on a daily basis on raising awareness of the need to prevent violence against women and domestic violence.

Recalling the debates and divisions in society, parliament and his HDZ party, caused by the ratification of the Istanbul Convention, Plenković said that the reasons for opposition to the ratification of the document ranged from "lack of information and ignorance to wrong interpretations of the convention's content, purpose and impact, as well as the consequences of its application."

The government removed reasons for opposition to the document by adopting an interpretative statement, while "the populist, irrational and occasionally unbelievable statements were disproved by time," he said.

Nothing that individuals and populist parties scared people with has happened, he said, adding that the ratification of the Istanbul Convention sent an important political message that violence against women and domestic violence in Croatia were unacceptable.

However, even though over the past three years the government has introduced a number of measures, problems in practice and on the ground indicate that our system to combat violence is not good and does not meet the standards set by the Convention, he warned.

There is still significant room for improving those standards, which means further implementation of the Convention, closer cooperation between the competent departments, greater involvement, and greater political and public visibility of the topic, he said.

Increase in domestic violence crimes on rise during pandemic 

Plenković warned that crimes of domestic violence had been on the rise during the coronavirus pandemic while the number of cases of domestic violence treated as misdemeanors was constantly on the decline.

"The victims are predominantly women, and violence happens most frequently in the family and among persons close to one another. We are particularly worried about an increase in the number of femicides," he said.

The total number of women killed in the last two years as well as the number of women killed by current or former partners has increased by 50%, he said, noting that the only way to reverse the current trends was an integrated approach involving cooperation between all state and judicial bodies as well as civil society and the media.

Text:Hina

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