ZAGREB, November 24, 2018 – Ombudswomen for human rights, gender equality and children and the head of the government’s Gender Equality Office on Friday welcomed a foster care bill aimed at deinstitutionalising children and adults, preventing institutionalisation and improving the quality of family foster care, but said that foster care by same-sex couples should also be allowed.
Gender equality ombudswoman Višnja Ljubičić sent her comments on the bill to its sponsor, applauding the bill, but during a public consultation she and other institutions, civil society organisations and citizens pointed out that life partners and informal life partners were left out of the definition of a foster family, her office said in a press release.
Ljubičić believes the exclusion denies those partners equal status and equal opportunities for the exercise of their rights, which is contrary to the gender equality principle. Since the Social Welfare Act speaks of accommodation in a foster family, which is not defined under said law but will be defined under the Foster Care Act, there is no reason not to include life partners and informal life partners among foster families, Ljubičić says.
She recalled that under the Life Partnership Act, a family is not composed only of married or common law couples but life partners and informal life partners as well.
Children’s ombudswoman Helenca Pirnat Dragičević said the most important thing in protecting a child’s best interest was to make sure that a foster family provided them with the best possible care. “It is therefore crucial to make a good evaluation of the competencies of foster parents, of their dedication and readiness to care for the child in a good and committed way. We don’t doubt that same sex couples can provide a child with good care, i.e. the quality of care is not contingent on their sexual orientation,” she added.
However, same sex couples still face very pronounced prejudices and sometimes extremely hostile views due to their sexual orientation, so in society we must work on preventing that, she said.
Human rights ombudswoman Lora Vidović’s office told Hina they were in favour of allowing same sex life partners to be foster parents.
The head of the government’s Gender Equality Office, Helena Štimac Radin, said the Office fully supported all rights of same sex couples. “Since we have the Registered Partnership Act, we in the Office believe those rights should be honoured, although said law is not in our remit,” she added.
For more on the LGBT rights in Croatia, including the issue of foster care by same-sex couples, click here.
