ZAGREB, March 23, 2018 – President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović has been strongly and continually advocating for the legal protection of women against violence and the implementation of measures to prevent domestic violence, her office said in a statement.
Although a series of measures have been incorporated into Croatian law to help achieve these goals, it is necessary to continue upgrading the legal framework and implementing measures to prevent violence against women and domestic violence, the president said.
She believes that the interpretive statement adopted by the government earlier in the day will remove doubts about certain sections of the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, which is also known as the Istanbul Convention.
The president said she was willing to provide any additional explanations if necessary in the process of ratifying the Convention.
Ratifying the Convention will not in itself contribute to the necessary changes unless we decide to strongly implement the measures to prevent and combat violence which already form an integral part of Croatian legislation, Grabar-Kitarović said.
Supporting the dialogue, the president called for putting an end to ideological divisions in society and for everyone to focus on the fastest possible economic and demographic recovery, job creation, attracting investment, promoting a positive business climate and discouraging young people from leaving the country.
