The parliamentary Gender Equality Committee on Wednesday warned of a 43% increase in the number of criminal acts of domestic violence, recommending measures for the prevention of domestic violence, including allocating state-owned housing for victims.

On the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, observed on November 25, three members of the committee called for faster court procedures, more stringent penalties for perpetrators and alternative accommodation for victims of domestic violence.

They underlined the above-party consensus on which they defined the recommendations aimed at helping the victims of domestic violence during the coronavirus pandemic.

We call on the government to provide accommodation from the public housing fund for victims of domestic violence who are additionally exposed to violence as a consequence of the pandemic, said the committee’s chair, MP Marija Selak Raspudic of the Bridge party group.

She presented the latest statistics from the Interior Ministry which indicate that in the first nine months of this year, the number of criminal acts of domestic violence had increased by 43% compared to the same period last year.

MP Rada Boric of the green-left bloc warned that six counties in the country do not have any shelters for victims of domestic violence and that the gender equality ombudsman’s office has had its budget for next year cut by HRK 1 million.

MP Sabina Glasovac of the Social Democratic Party said that on the European scale 40% more women are exposed to domestic violence in the current pandemic.

She warned that in next year’s budget only HRK 350,000 has been allocated to ensure accommodation for victims of domestic violence.

Women who are victims of domestic violence need accommodation, particularly now during the pandemic because they simply have nowhere to hide, underscored Glasovac.