International Mechanism Submissions

This report addresses Croatia’s compliance with its obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) concerning violence against women (VAW), including the current legislation to prevent it and protect women from it. This report recommends that Croatia adopts a number of key recommendations to better align its practices with its obligations under the Convention. These steps, among other things, include: (1) fully incorporating and implementing international legal obligations on preventing and punishing VAW into domestic law and policy; (2) ensuring funding for national policies and independent services for preventing and combatting VAW; (3) abolishing entirely the practice of dual arrests and convictions in cases of VAW; (4) improving the quality and quantity of data collection on all forms of VAW; and (5) eliminate all use and forms of the concept of “parental alienation.” 

Information in this report was gathered from a review of current laws and policies, as well as materials, reports, and analyses prepared by the authors and international, regional and domestic governmental and non-governmental bodies. In addition, first-hand information was collected through interviews conducted with multiple Croatian experts in VAW from non-governmental organizations providing direct services to victims/survivors of domestic violence and their children. Moreover, the report presents data and analysis gathered from service providers' trends, cases, and day-to-day practice.