| Statement
by Zeljka Jelavic
Centre for Women’s Studies/Women’s Network of Croatia
To the Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of
Discrimination Against Women
On the Second and Third Periodic Report of the Government of Croatia
17 January 2005
Thank you, Madam Chair
for giving me the opportunity to address the Committee. I am Zeljka
Jelavic from the Centre for Women’s Studies and I speak on the behalf
of 45 women’s NGOs that are members of Women’s Network of Croatia.
Regarding
Article 10
Discrimination
of women in education relates to several areas such as educational
policies, content of programs and textbooks as well as professional
status of women in education. National Policy for Promotion of Sex
Equality emphasizes gender sensitive education and diminishing of
gender stereotypes as one of its primary goals. The goals are also
establishing of Women’s Studies as part of university education
and integration of gender sensibilization in the permanent education
of teachers. Unfortunately, none of the goals has been achieved.
Resistance of Ministry of Education to implement the goals of National
Policy clearly shows lack of political will to promote gender equality
in order to secure elimination of de facto discrimination against
women.
| Recommendations:
a)
Strict implementation of measures defined in National Policy
for Promotion of Sex Equality and provisions of Law on Sex
Equality;
b) Inclusion of women’s studies in high education;
c) Permanent gender sensitive education for all educational
professionals;
d) Inclusion of programs on equality between men and women
provided by NGOs in school system and insuring basic funding
for them. |
Regarding
Article 11
Women are having difficulties
in access to labour market. Employers regard young women as undesirable
employees, middle age is greater employment disadvantage for women
then for men. Women make up majority of workers in untypical forms
of employment and informal economy. The percentage of women among
employed is constantly decreasing. Women’s share among registered
unemployed persons is increasing (58.5%). They make up the majority
of long term unemployed persons. There is no successful public employment
policy focused on women (the measures for employment of women above
45 years of age and credit lines for women were not sufficient).
The guaranteed
principle of equal pay for equal work has yet to be implemented
as seen in statistics on the retirement fees.
| Recommendations:
a)
Development and strict implementation of efficient measures
for greater inclusion of women in labor market;
b) Development and implementation of life long learning process
free of charge and in the concordance with the needs of the
labor market;
c) Implementation of the principle of equal pay for equal
job. |
Regarding
Article 12 and General Recommendation No 24
Although the Croatia
is secular state, the issue of reproductive rights and health is
highly influenced by the position of Catholic Church. The sexual
education predominant in primary and secondary schools is based
on the discriminatory position towards those engaged in extramarital
sex, out of wedlock and homosexual partnerships. The information
on efficient methods of contraception is biased and incomplete.
Although the abortion
is legal and is supposed to be affordable and accessible, it is
not necessarily so. Some polyclinics and hospitals obliged by the
law to perform the abortions are not fulfilling their obligation.
The affordable list of contraceptive methods is to narrow and accessible
only through prescription of gynaecologists.
The long waiting
lists for certain check-ups, as well as widespread corruption combined
with the lack of statistical data on patterns of usage of health
system by women preclude the comprehensive and timely medical interventions.
| Recommendations:
a)
Widespread and thorough secular sexual education introduced
at all levels of education;
b) Making abortion available and affordable in all polyclinics
and hospitals obliged by law to provide it;
c) Expanding the list of contraceptives partially or totally
covered by state health insurance;
d) Running public campaigns against sexually transmitted disease
e )State health insurance should introduce gender sensitive
data collection |
More details and in depth
analysis you can find in NGO Report already delivered to all members
of Committee. Thank you, Madame Chair.
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