On World Children's Day, November 20, the UNICEF Croatia Office will launch a campaign to ensure the necessary early intervention services for children with developmental problems.

Early intervention services are used by one in eight children in Croatia, the office says.

The purpose of the campaign is to improve living conditions for children with developmental problems and make sure every one of these children in Croatia has equal opportunities for quality care, education and protection.

Early intervention services are still not available to a large number of children and families in Croatia. There are an estimated 24,000 children in Croatia with developmental problems or at risk of developmental problems aged 0 to 5 but only one in eight use early intervention services, UNICEF says, noting that the lack of early intervention services or the inability to access them result in real obstacles for children and parents.

One of the main obstacles for children with developmental problems is social rejection, UNICEF says.

Around 45% of families with children with developmental problems do not use early intervention services due to the stigma of disability.

UNICEF calls on partners, media, companies and citizens to support its campaign to ensure quality support through early intervention services.

Donations can be made via UNICEF’s web site or by making a payment into UNICEF’s account HR1723600001501092524, reference number 20462-989.