PLIGHT OF REFUGEES ATTEMPTING TO RETURN HOME, VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN, EQUAL ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE AMONG ISSUES RAISED BY EXPERTS

WOM/1008
21 January 1998

Reviewing Croatia's Compliance with Convention On Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women

Drawing attention to the plight of refugees in Croatia attempting to return home, the Chairperson of
the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women this afternoon raised questions
about alleged physical abuse inflicted on returning women refugees by the armed forces and the
public authority.

The Chairperson sought information on the reported increase of violence against women in Croatia,
as the 23-member expert Committee continued its review of Croatia's compliance with the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. She also sought
clarification on a new penal law that seemed to relieve the police and the medical professionals
from an obligation to report cases of violence against women, and that vowed to reduce the degree
of punishment if the perpetrator was a member of the family. One expert expressed concern about
the emphasis on the role of women as mothers, stressing that a law that prevented women with
young children from working at night was perhaps reinforcing patriarchal values and restricting
women's economic autonomy. Contradictions existed in the regulations that allowed female
workers in the health sector to work at night. She urged the Government of Croatia to re-examine
that mechanism and its restriction on women's roles.

While welcoming the detailed data provided in the report concerning health, the expert called for its
analysis and for more information on the Government's health policy. Cuts in the budget for health
services were cause for concern, including the effect of the removal of State support for essential
health services for women. Questions were raised concerning women's equal access to medical
care and the cost of such care, including gynaecological services, which many women could not
afford.

The Committee will meet again at 10:15 a.m. tomorrow, 22 January, to begin consideration of the
initial report of Zimbabwe.

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met this afternoon to continue
its consideration of the initial report of Croatia on its implementation of the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. (For background on the report, see
Press Release WOM/1007 issued today.)

Comments on Specific Articles

Beginning this afternoon's meeting with article 5, concerning the stereotyped roles of men and
women, an expert requested a description of the measures undertaken to educate society in that
regard. Had the Ministry of Education established programmes targeted to children and young
people? Was there any specific work on enhancing teachers' awareness? She also asked whether
women leaders were aware of gender issues and whether they strove to further the goals of the
Convention.

Drawing attention to the plight of refugees resulting from Croatia's ethnic cleansing, the Committee
Chairperson asked whether, despite repeated assurances from the Government to reinstate them
safely back to their homes, attempts by female refugees to return still exposed them to physical
abuses, especially by the armed forces and public authority. She sought additional information on
violence against women. On a new penal law concerning severe injuries, was it true that neither the
police nor the medical professionals would be obligated to report such cases officially? Was it true
that that same law promised to reduce the degree of punishment of the perpetrator when that
perpetrator was a member of the family?

An expert raised the concept of classifying rape and sexual violence as "gender-neutral", adding
that placing women on par with men in that regard missed the point. Rather, she said, such violence
was a gender-specific violence. Turning to the issue of domestic violence, experts asked what
alternatives were available to redress such violence, and whether protection against women's
ill-treatment protected them also from domestic violence? The persistence of domestic violence
was perceived by one expert as part of a violent society that preyed mainly on women and
children, much to their detriment. Such behaviour could only be limited by the early education of
youngsters.

Questions were raised concerning the perception of Croatian women as mothers and nurturers.
One expert, noting that those mothers with more than four children received certain privileges and
"virtual bonuses", asked whether that was the image that the Croatian society wished to encourage?
Specific replies were requested concerning the level of political will of the Government to eliminate
such stereotypes, and plans to educate children so as to encourage equality among sexes.

Taking up article 6, concerning the suppression of traffic in and prostitution of women, the experts
sought a more comprehensive picture of how the relevant legislation was applied, and whether
traffic in women and young people was being curbed as a result. Was immigration subject to any
monitoring aimed at preventing such trafficking? Also, were the laws relating to violence against
women, in particular rape, applied equally to women prostitutes.

Turning to article 7, concerning women in political and public life, another expert said she was
impressed by the large number of women in the judicial sector in municipal and the supreme courts.
Despite that, however, women remained underrepresented in high-level decision-making judicial
bodies such as the Constitutional Court and the Bar Council, where there was only one woman
among 31 members. She asked whether women played any leadership roles in the political parties
and what percentage had been candidates for elections at the national and local levels. Did women
participate in trade unions, and were there any obstacles to their participation in that sector or to
encourage their participation?

The Committee Chairperson asked why women's participation in local and national level politics
had dramatically decreased after Croatia's independence and whether there was a quota system for
participation of women in politics. She also asked for clarification about the possible relationship
between the tendency of women not to enjoy their rights and the high priority given to the role of
mothers.

On article 10, on discrimination in the field of education, questions were raised on the number of
illiterate women in Croatia; whether measures had been taken to address the problem of illiteracy
among women; what were the backgrounds of the female educational advisers; and whether they
were elected or appointed to those positions. Did those advisers have any impact on the
formulation of national policy? She also asked about the number of women pursuing postgraduate
degrees and the number of faculty members at the university level and their respective fields.

Another expert asked about the mixed messages regarding the policy on the role of women as
mothers and the removal of traditional stereotypes of women's roles. Why were women presented
in a variety of roles and what efforts had been made to introduce women studies and human rights
education into schools? she asked.

On article 11, questions were raised about the percentages of different categories of women
workers -- such as those fully employed, part-time workers and those who worked at home; the
programmes that existed to assist unemployed women; and the efforts being made to create jobs
for them. Experts also asked if women who were heads of households were being given priority for
employment and called for statistics on women's employment.

Another expert asked about the law that restricted women with children under two years of age
from working at night. Such a law seemed to restrict women's economic autonomy and promote
the patriarchal values. Were those restrictions affecting the wages of such women and limiting their
role regarding the care of children? There was some contradiction between those rules and the
rules governing the roles of women in other sectors, including in the health sector. She urged the
Government of Croatia to re-examine that mechanism and its restriction on women's roles.

Referring to article 12, on discrimination in the field of health, she said the large amount of data
presented on health issues was somewhat outdated. The data should be analysed and information
should be provided on government policies on health. What was the percentage of the State's
budget allocated to the health sector? Citing information received from nongovernmental
organizations, she noted that there had been cuts in health-care services, particularly in services that
women needed. Information was requested on different categories of persons who were insured,
including the number of women uninsured as opposed to the number of men who were not insured.

Expressing concern over the situation of the elderly, an expert asked about provisions for
remuneration for women who took care of them in light of the increase in the elderly population;
and whether there was a policy to increase community services to match the rise in the number of
female elderly. Regarding women refugees, she asked to what extent they had access to public
health services. Were services also available for victims of violence? There was need for
disaggregated data by sex on male and female mortality and the causes of their morbidity, to
determine whether there had been an increase in HIV/AIDS in women. What resources were being
allocated to health research? she further asked.

Information was also sought on the use of contraception, the cost and its relationship to abortion,
the effect of the removal of state support for essential health services, sex education for young
persons, and statistics on teen pregnancy. Were health problems or concerns of minors treated
confidentially by health workers? an expert asked. She asked for clarification on the laws on
abortion and whether there was any consideration of steps to address policies on abortion. On
drug and alcohol abuse, she asked if the gender perspectives on such abuse had been addressed.

Continuing on article 12, an expert expressed concern about the eligibility of women for health
insurance. Drawing attention to the level of protection of health care in Croatia, when not even the
very rich countries could boast such success, she asked whether it was true that all Croatian
women had equal access to medical care, and whether such care was free? She referred to
information from other sources saying that women had to pay for adequate gynaecological care,
which many could not afford. She also asked whether doctors and paramedics had the benefit of
an education in women's rights, given that her sources said that some health care workers refused
to terminate pregnancies even when the women needed or requested it.

Turning to the problems faced by rural women, under article 14, one expert complained that the
coverage in the report was too limited. The article covered several areas, including the access of
rural women to health services, access to credits and loans, access to development plans, and so
on, thereby requiring more detailed accounting. For example, were there already development
programmes and projects under way in the above areas and what was planned for the
advancement of rural women, whose situation was often very unfavourable as compared to
city-dwelling women? she asked. Furthermore, was there any data available which compared the
situation faced by rural women to that of urban women, and was any information available
regarding the education and health of rural women.

Concerning the elimination of discrimination against women in marriage and the family, the subject
of article 16, an expert raised a series of questions about the division of labour in marriage, as
contained in national legislation. She noted that the report also documented the frequency with
which Croatian women filed for divorce on the grounds that they were overburdened in their family
life. Was the family law not implemented satisfactorily, and if so, what means were available to
bridge the gap between the law and its implementation. Also, could women file related complaints
in the courts apart from filing for divorce? And were there any services for improving family
relations?