Croatia's ombudsman for children, Helenca Pirnat-Dragicevic, and the UNHCR said on Monday that there had been headway in the protection of children asylum seekers lately in the country, but added that there was an increasing number of unaccompanied minors arriving in Croatia.

During a round table discussion, held on World Refugee Day, Pirnat-Dragicevic ad UNHCR representatives highlighted the adoption of the protocol on the treatment of unaccompanied children migrants in 2018 and the recent amendments to the Foster Parenthood Law as positive things.

They also praised Croatian hosts for their heartfelt reception of Ukrainian refugees, including unaccompanied minors.

However, they said in a joint press release that there is still room for improvement, which requires the attention of all stakeholders, and they are pushing for the full adjustment of Croatia’s child protection system with international principles and standards.

They also called for boosting translation resources for Ukrainian school-age children.

In 2020, Croatia registered 942 children asylum seekers, and in 2021, this number increased by 25 percent to 1,181. The number of unaccompanied minors seeking asylum has increased by 5 percent.