Ombudsperson for Gender Equality
CROATIA: Gender Equality Ombudwoman
- Overview
Gender equality, sex equality, equal opportunities for women and men, LGBT rights.
- Brief history
Gender equality is one of the fundamental values of the constitutional order of the Republic of Croatia. In 2003, upon the proposal of the Croatian Government, the first Gender Equality Ombudsperson was appointed by the Croatian Parliament in accordance to the Gender Equality Act adopted in 2003 for the first time (Official Gazette 116/03).
In 2008, Croatian Parliament adopted a new Gender Equality Act (Official Gazette 82/08) according to which the Gender Equality Ombudsperson performs the tasks of an independent body in charge of combating discrimination in the field of gender equality.
The responsibilities of the ombusperson for gender equality include:
1. receiving complaints from any natural persons or legal entities regarding discrimination in the area of gender equality;
2. providing assistance to natural and legal persons who filed a complaint of sexual discrimination when instituting legal proceedings;
3. taking steps to investigate individual complaints prior to the legal proceedings;
4. conducting, with the consent of the parties involved, a mediation process with a possibility to reach an out-of court settlement;
5. collecting and analysing statistical data on cases of sexual discrimination;
6. conducting independent surveys concerning discrimination, publishing independent reports and exchanging available information with corresponding European bodies.
The Gender Equality Ombudswoman acts in an independent manner, monitors the enforcement of the Gender Equality Law and other regulations on gender equality and reports to the Croatian Parliament at least once a year.
- Mandate type
- Combined tribunal-type and promotion-type
- Litigation powers
- Formally deciding on complaints (e.g. decision or recommendation addressed to the parties) Not legally binding
- Activities
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Activities aimed at supporting vulnerable groups (e.g. through trainings) no no yes yes yes yes no no no no Activities aimed at supporting duty bearers such as employers and service providers (e.g. through trainings, guidance material, practical support, etc.) no no yes yes yes yes no no no no Communication activities (e.g. awareness raising campaigns) no no yes yes yes yes no no no no Recommendations on discrimination issues no yes yes yes yes yes no no no no Publications and reports no yes yes yes yes yes no no no no Research projects (including surveys) no yes yes yes yes yes no no no no - Our institution has a mandate to deal with:
- Violence against women
- Hate speech
- Other statistics
-
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 Number of inquiries handled per year (all contact even if not resulting in a formal complaint) 742 1359 1514 2062 2588 2467 no data no data no data no data Number of cases handled per year (case files opened and processed according to your procedures) 333 315 420 410 432 486 no data no data no data no data Number of media appearances per year (major newspapers/magazines/websites/blogs, TV + radio channels) - does not include social media 136 124 226 485 870 745 no data no data no data no data - Management
- Single headed equality body (led by director or ombudsman/commissioner)
- Management details
The office is headed by the head of office (Ombudswoman) and her deputy. It’s having also legal section (5 legal persons employed including head of section) and section for general affairs (2 persons employed including head of section) headed by the heads of these two sections. Yet two colleagues cover media and educational issues related to gender equality.
- Procedure for nomination and appointment of management and board
Ombudsperson and her/his deputy is appointed by the parliament.
- Number of staff dealing with equality issues
-
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 no data 13 9 9 11 11 no data no data no data no data - Grounds and fields of discrimination covered by the equality body
Grounds / Fields Employment Education Housing Social Protection & Healthcare Goods & Services Other Gender yes yes yes yes yes Gender Identity yes yes yes yes yes Race and Ethnic Origin no no no no no Age no no no no no Disability no no no no no Sexual Orientation yes yes yes yes yes Religion & Belief no no no no no Other grounds : Discrimination on the basis of family, marital status, pregnancy and maternity rights. We are also dealing with domestic violence.
- Mandate covers:
- Public sector
- Private sector
- Operating budget in euros
- Operating budget in euros for the parts of the organisation dealing with equality issues (all types of functions).
- We are accountable to:
- National Parliament
Main Informations
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2017 has been designated by the European Commission as the year dedicated to combating violence against women. Many equality bodies are on the forefront of this work, carrying out projects aimed at developing and implementing practical and targeted information to combat violence against women, as well as awareness-raising and education activities. 25 November is International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
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On 29th October 2018, the Albanian Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination organized the Third Regional Conference of Equality Bodies, by topic “Independence of Equality Bodies”, at the Palace of Brigades, in Tirana, Albania. The Conference was partly financially supported by the OSCE.
On 25 April, the Ombudsman, together with the House of Human Rights, organised a conference to celebrate ten years of application of the Anti-Discrimination Act in Croatia. The conference brought together local communities and civil society organisations, as well as all the Ombuds institutions in Croatia.
