Protesters who rallied in Zagreb on Saturday said "Croatia needs zero tolerance for violence" and read out their demands to the government.
Several hundred protesters rallied in King Tomislav Square, carrying banners with messages against domestic violence – “Love doesn’t hurt”, “Violence is not a family matter”, “Let’s not give in”, “We are all responsible”, “A crime, not a misdemeanour”, “Zero tolerance”, “I’m a victim of domestic violence too”, “The victim is never to blame”, “Brave people” and “Actions speak louder than words”.
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They said domestic violence was on the rise, with 145 such crimes reported in 2015, 330 in 2016, of which 279 against women, and 552 in 2017, including 464 against women. 90% of the domestic violence cases were tried as a misdemeanours, including 16,000 such cases in 2015, 13,000 in 2016 and 12,000 in 2017, they said.
Protesters said 91 women were killed in Croatia over the past five years, which accounts for 47% of all murders. In 70% of the cases, the murderer was a person close to the victim and in overhalf they were their partners.
The organisers of Saturday’s #SaveMe protest demand the immediate enforcement of all measures necessary to reduce violence, notably in the family, to improve the work of institutions and the legal framework, and to raise public awareness.
They called on authorities to take a more serious approach to domestic violence, to improve regulations and to stop treating victims and perpetrators equally.
They demand better cooperation between prosecutors, the police and welfare centres, as well as protecting the dignity and safety of victims during legal proceedings.
The protest was prompted by a recent case in which a father threw his four children from a balcony on the island of Pag.
Protests were also held in Dubrovnik and Sibenik.
Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic also took part in the protest, saying violence should be treated as a crime and that punishment should be stricter as that was the only way “to reduce this phenomenon, which is really big in society.”
