“This year the campaign is dedicated to the fight against violence that destroys women, but also our planet”, said the regional campaign coordinator, Zagreb City Assembly member Rada Borić, who pointed to the need to raise awareness of the widespread violence against women.
“One billion women worldwide are abused at this moment, and Croatia is unfortunately no exception, but one billion trees have been felled, rivers and forests have been devastated,” she said.
She warned that every 15 minutes, a woman experiences violence in Croatia and that rulings in such cases are quite inappropriate which in a way, encourages the perpetrators.
Three women killed since start of year
“The message is that there is no excuse for violence – even if that someone is a good neighbour or jealous or defender or county head…” Borić said, noting that Croatia has more killed women per million inhabitants than France.
Gender Equality Ombudswoman Višnja Ljubičić, too, pointed to the discouraging national statistics.
“In the first 40 days of this year, three women have been killed, three women have been held captive and there have been several cases of attempted murder and threats with weapons, which shows that 2022 will be marked by femicide,” Ljubičić said.
“In 2021, 30 people were murdered – 16 men and 14 women. In 90% of the cases men were killed by other men, while the 14 women were killed by 11 men close to them”, Ljubičić added.
Sentences for perpetrators too lenient
Ljubičić also warned that sentences for perpetrators were too lenient, noting that of 1,200 verdicts, less than 10% envisage imprisonment for gender-based violence, while in most cases, the punishment is conditional or a fine.
The Zagreb event’s organisers called for working together on the prevention of violence and on raising awareness of the problem through systematic education and institutional cooperation.
This month events dedicated to raising awareness of the problem of violence against women are held also in other Croatian cities, and they will also be held on International Women’s Day, 8 March, and Earth Day, 22 April.
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