MPs: Everything must be done to stop violence against women

Zagreb - On the occasion of National Day of Combating Violence Against Women, observed on 22 September, MPs said on Friday that the Croatian society is obliged to do everything to stop violence against women and preserve human lives.

"When it comes to violence against women, we should be honest and say that we are not doing well, in fact we are doing very poorly," Dragana Jeckov (SDSS Club) said.

In the last 20 years, more than 400 women have been killed in Croatia, and in the EU we are rank third when it comes to the number of murders against women, Jeckov noted.

In addition, the report on the implementation of the Istanbul Convention shows that it is insufficiently applied, as cases of police arresting both the abuser and the woman continue to occur, prosecutions are easily and often dropped, sentences less than the minimum prescribed are given, and fewer than 10 percent of convicted abusers end up in prison, Jeckov stated.

Last year, 13 women were killed in Croatia, and this year, until yesterday morning, six of them had been killed, and today there were already seven, said Jelena Miloš (Club We Can!) and called for the adoption of a comprehensive law on the protection of women from violence.

Davor Dretar (Homeland Movement Club) said that violence against women is one of the most cowardly things a man can do, stressing that it should be more intensively and permanently regulated and punished more severely.

Majda Burić (HDZ Club) emphasized that any violence against women, children and in the family is absolutely unacceptable.

She pointed out that the government is working to combat violence against women through a series of activities, so 10 days ago it  presented the third round of measures introducing the most extensive changes to date.

 Aggravated murder of a female person will be introduced as a new criminal offence as part of amendment of several laws in a bid to step up the fight against violence against women in Croatia.

The conviction based on this offence will carry a sentence of 10 or more years.

Also, sexual harassment will be treated as a felony offence and no longer as a misdemeanor.

Considering sentences for rape, they will be longer - three to eight years for the fundamental form of rape and 5 to 12 years for statutory rape.

Also, statute of limitations will be removed for felony sexual assault against children.