ZAGREB, October 1, 2018 – The Ministry of Demography, Family, Youth and Social Policy said on Monday the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, known as the Istanbul Convention, was in force as of today and that its implementation required the synergy of all departments, relevant state bodies and civil society organisations.
Awareness of the need to work on the prevention of and continuously fight against violence against women and domestic violence goes beyond the remit of any ministry and department, becoming our common problem, the problem of our community and society as a whole, the ministry said.
Implementation of the Convention includes the implementation of the 2017-22 National Strategy for protection against domestic violence. Every measure in the Strategy is based on one or more Convention articles, giving it added value and showing determination in the implementation of the Convention.
Everyone involved in the implementation of the National Strategy – state bodies, local government and civil society organisations – must implement those measures on a permanent basis, the ministry said.
A new protocol on how to act in cases of domestic violence is being worked on to align it with the new legislation and a conference is being prepared on how to improve cooperation in the protection of victims and the prevention of domestic violence.
