Interior Minister Davor Bozinovic on Monday said that the police did not avoid the issue of domestic violence, however this problem required a comprehensive approach with many stakeholders being involved in attempts to eliminate that form of violence.

Outlining the national programme for suppressing violence against women Bozinovic said in Vukovar on Monday that the number of criminal charges pressed by the police against domestic bullies had increased this year in comparison to the corresponding period last year.

In addition, the ministry is systematically working on the prevention of any form of violence, including violence against women, which is the government’s strategic goal.

Calling for raising public awareness about intolerance towards domestic violence, Bozinovic said that a comprehensive approach was necessary to solve this issue.

During his stay in Vukovar, Bozinovic presented the national programme called “Lily” named after judge Ljiljana Hvalec nicknamed Lily. Judge Hvalec, attorney Hajra Prohic and a party in a divorce suit, Gordana Oreskic, were killed in Zagreb’s Municipal Court by Oreskic’s estranged husband on 22 September 1999.

The national day of combating violence against women is observed in Croatia on September 22 in memory of that event.