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Description
Croatia is in process of adoption of a new state budget. It is important to advocate for the adoption of the new Gender Equality Policy; financing, support and specific measures for protection of women''s rights exactly at this moment so that the organisations from different parts of Croatia, who provide direct help to women and barely survive, would get necessary support for their work, and to enable systematic implementation of measures for protection of women''s rights.
Objectives of the project:
- Strengthen advocacy/watchdog capacities of women''s rights associations;
- Strengthen capacities of MPs and MEPs related to women''s rights;
- Advocating definining of clear policy for protection of women''s rights and securing support and finances for work in that field.
Activities:
- Preparatory meeting – 15 associations of the Network from 10 different cities: defining problems and advocacy goals;
- Letters to state institutions with proposals regarding national gender equality policy;
- meetings with representatives of the Government (meeting with vice-president of the Government Boris Milošević) and institutional mechanisms (Office for Gender Equality, Ombudswoman for Gender Equality);
- Online meetings with clubs of MPs, phone conversations, letters;
- Organising thematic discussion with members of the Gender Equality Comittee of the Croatian Parliament – phone conversations, email communication, meetings outside Parliament;
- Thematic discussion during online session of the Gender Equality Committee organised in cooperation with women''s associations on the subject of the EU Gender Equality Strategy and the new national gender equality policy, with participation of the member of FEMM Committee and representative of the European Women''s Lobby;
- Online campaign for adoption of the National Policy for Gender Equality.
Summary of project results
The project has resulted in greater advocacy capacity of Croatian Women''s Network member associations dealing with various areas of women''s human rights protection, including associations from smaller towns and associations dealing with particularly vulnerable groups - women victims of domestic violence, women victims of prostitution and trafficking. Roma women, members of national minorities, lesbians. Through direct work on the organization of advocacy activities, exchange, defining common goals and planning further advocacy through online meetings and meetings in Zagreb, the capacities of women''s organizations have been strengthened. ŽMH members participated in the preparation and discussions at the thematic session of the Committee for Gender Equality and in meetings with representatives of the Government and clubs of deputies in the Croatian Parliament.
Also the effect of the project are the larger capacities of members of the Croatian Parliament related to the promotion and protection of women''s human rights as a result of exchange and contacts with women from organizations for the protection of women''s human rights. Through joint planning and exchange through online meetings, the cooperation of representatives of women''s organizations was encouraged, as well as the mutual cooperation of representatives of different political options. Joint advocacy activities for the National Policy have been agreed - putting national policy issues on the agenda in the Croatian Parliament, coordination on parliamentary issues, speeches during the current hour in the Croatian Parliament, joint press conferences, advocacy through the FEMM Committee of the European Parliament. cooperation on other issues of protection of women''s rights.
The debate in the Croatian Parliament and the public was successfully opened through a thematic session and through a public campaign and media statements on issues related to the adoption of national gender equality policy and the need for its urgent adoption, harmonization and implementation of international documents for women''s human rights.