Representatives of both the opposition and the ruling majority in the Croatian parliament on Thursday supported amendments to the Penal Code which would ensure harsher punishments for child sex offenders, including no statute of limitations on crimes of child sexual abuse.

“The purpose of the amendments is to more appropriately sanction child sexual abuse, as well as prevent it,” said Irena Petrijevcanin-Vuksanovic of the HDZ while presenting the amendments.

The amendments also propose banning convicted child sex offenders from professions where they could get in contact with children, which, until now, was left for the judges to decide.

Five-year supervision for persons who have committed the crime of child sexual abuse would also be mandatory under the new laws, and sentences for child abuse would be increased to up to 20 years for serious crimes of abuse, and to up to 15 years for child rape.

According to police data, some 510 children are victims of paedophilia every year in Croatia, 85 percent of whom are girls.

Out of some 300 reported sex offenders, some 76 percent committed crimes against children.

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