Last year, the Office of the Ombudswoman for Children received twice as many reports of peer violence in schools and kindergartens as in 2021, but some of them were found to be exaggerated or groundless.

In 2022, the Office received 101 reports of violence in kindergartens and schools, up from 51 in 2021, Ombudswoman Helenca Pirnat Dragičević said in the annual report. Of these, seven cases were related to violence in kindergartens and 94 in primary and secondary schools, of which 85 were related to peer violence.

According to the Ministry of Labour, Family and Social Policy, nearly 1,500 children were reported for peer violence in 2021.

The ombudswoman noted that parents sometimes untruthfully describe serious forms of violence and bring these cases to the attention of the media. She added that inspectors often found the cases of violent behaviour to be less serious than reported and that some of the complaints proved unfounded.

However, even after the nature of the conflict has been established, some parents insist that it was violence and that their child was a victim, demanding strict sanctions for the “bully”, and when they see that the school did not react according to their expectations, they report staff to various institutions.

Pirnat Dragičević quotes one school as reporting a growing problem with inappropriate and unfounded complaints and demands by parents, adding that parents sometimes demand information on other children, want to participate in school activities, threaten to file formal complaints or alert the media.

“Some parents make nasty comments about the competence and professionalism of school staff, form parent groups on social media in which they write nasty comments about other children and parents. Such groups could be described as hate groups targeting a particular child,” the ombudswoman said.

Schools feel unprotected and exposed to public attacks that are not sanctioned, she added.

Some parents also make complaints about the behaviour of children in kindergartens, often seeing normal conflicts that end up with one child biting another, pushing them around or scratching them, or explorations of sexuality appropriate to their age, as bullying or sexual harassment and demanding strict measures against the other child and their parents, the ombudswoman said, adding that the other child is often called “a bully or a sexual maniac”.

She highlighted the need for kindergartens to educate parents about the developmental characteristics and behaviour of children at a certain age.

14,000 children in deep and long-term poverty

The 280-page report also presents the state of children’s rights in Croatia, identifying the progress made as well as key concerns such as poverty, violence, discrimination, the exercise of rights by children with development disabilities, insufficient support for mental health, and inadequate protection of children without adequate parental care.

In Croatia, one in five children lives at risk of poverty and social exclusion, and 14,000 children who receive guaranteed minimum benefits live in deep and long-term poverty, the report reveals.

The ombudswoman welcomed the increase in the minimum benefit and the introduction of a free school meal, but warned that this will not cover the costs of living and needs of children nor will it help them get out of poverty.

As for children without adequate parental care, 818 were institutionalised in 2022, 11 more than in 2021. The ombudswoman said that their number would have been higher if the institutions were not full to capacity. She also mentioned situations where institutions received children despite being full, in which cases the children slept in the lounge or in the library.

Last year, the Ombudswoman’s Office processed 3,799 cases, of which 1,932 were new. Most of the complaints were related to education and the exercise of parental care.