Violence cannot be justified by anything and must not be tolerated. The fight against violence against women is the responsibility of all institutions, said Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic on Friday with a view to the National Day for Combating Violence against Women, which will be observed on Sunday.

The National Day is commemorated in memory of three women who were killed and one of them seriously injured in front of the Zagreb Municipal Court in 1999: Judge Ljiljana Hvalec, lawyer Hajra Prohic and the wife of a man accused of violence, Gordana Oraskic, while court clerk Stanka Cvetkovic was seriously injured.

“The observance of this day is important to sensitise the public and educate society, to send a clear message that violence has no justification, must not be tolerated and is not a private matter,” the Prime Minister said at a government meeting.

“The fight against violence against women is the duty of all institutions”

He said his government has taken a number of measures to prevent violence against women and domestic violence since the start of his first term, most recently the changes to criminal legislation last March.

These amendments expanded and strengthened the rights of victims and increased the penalties for rape, crimes against sexual freedom and sexual abuse of children, Plenkovic said, adding that femicide was also introduced as a crime with a minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

“Three rounds of amendments to substantive and procedural criminal legislation have created a high-quality legal framework that allows for appropriate punishment of perpetrators of violence against women. However, the fight against violence against women is the duty of all institutions,” he said.

“The clear message that violence is unacceptable must come from all parts of society”

The clear message that violence is unacceptable must come from all parts of society. This includes the judiciary, which has been given the tools to impose strict, dissuasive penalties and conduct proceedings in such a way that the rights and interests of victims are better protected.

As a government, we will continue to work on strengthening prevention, including education from the earliest age, as well as systematically collecting and analysing data on violence against women, which will form the basis for new measures, said Plenkovic.