A quarter of children in Croatia are victims of some form of violence, children's ombudswoman Helenca Pirnat-Dragicevic warned on Wednesday, adding that one in three children experience violence via technology.

Pirnat-Dragicevic called for prevention activities among children.

She spoke about increasing violence among children at a ceremony marking the 15th anniversary since the opening of the Regional Office of the Children’s Ombudsman in the eastern city of Osijek.

She said that prevention activities for children and among children must be systematic, organised and accessible to all children because “they need to understand that violence is not an acceptable form of behaviour.”

Pirnat-Dragicevic said that the situation with children’s rights in the five counties covered by the Regional Office did not differ significantly from the rest of the country.

Speaking of priorities, the ombudsman said that society should put greater focus on children’s mental health because recent surveys have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years has left marks on some of the children, who need help and support.

The survey carried out by the Ombudsman’s Office in 2018 shows that children have become apathetic over their insufficient involvement in decision making in school, Pirnat-Dragicevic said.