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Description
The main problem which this project will try to address is the low level of protection of socioeconomic rights and inadequate quality of public policies in this field, as well as insufficiently developed role of civil society in advocating socioeconomic rights.
The general project objective is to strengthen the advocating/watchdog role of civil society in the field of socioeconomic rights and inequality.
Specific project objectives are: 1) Support networking, cross-sectoral cooperation and capacity building of CSOs to advocate in the field of socioeconomic rights; 2) Strengthen CSOs ability to monitor and advocate based on research and alternative policy solutions in the field of socioeconomic rights; 3) Promote and enable participation of vulnerable groups, citizens, experts and policy practitioners in advocating for socioeconomic rights; 4) Strengthen the public awareness and promote international human rights standards while supporting education on socioeconomic rights in educational institutions.
Project activities are gathered in 3 working packages: 1. Establishing a system for monitoring of socioeconomic inequalities and advocating for socioeconomic rights through strengthening of the cooperation and capacities of CSOs and cross-sectoral cooperation; 2. Developing a proposal of socioeconomic policies based on international standards of socioeconomic rights; 3. Contribution to formal and informal education on socioeconomic rights.
Summary of project results
Croatia faces a significant housing crisis, with over 70% of young people living with their parents due to soaring rental prices and limited affordable housing options. Current policies rely heavily on credit borrowing, but with job insecurity on the rise, accessing housing loans has become increasingly difficult. Additionally, the lack of regulation in the rental market exacerbates the housing dilemma.
Education Disparities: Despite being publicly funded, Croatia''s education system struggles with inadequate investment and quality. Decentralization in preschool education has led to regional inequalities, with thousands of children unable to access early childhood education. Furthermore, many schools operate in contravention of standards, exacerbating educational disparities.
Labor Market Challenges: Flexibilization of labor relations has led to widespread unemployment and insufficient protection for workers'' rights. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the plight of healthcare workers, who face shortages of protective equipment and overwhelming workloads. Low unionization rates further impede their ability to advocate for their rights.
Civil Society Engagement and Intersectionality: Although civil society organizations (CSOs) exist, their capacity to advocate effectively and participate in policymaking is limited. Collaboration among CSOs and cross-sectoral engagement are lacking, hindering efforts to address systemic challenges comprehensively. Moreover, citizen involvement in decision-making processes remains low, impeding progress in safeguarding socio-economic rights.
Conclusion: Addressing Croatia''s socio-economic challenges requires a collaborative approach involving government, CSOs, and the community. Prioritizing investment in affordable housing, equitable education, and robust labor protections is essential. Moreover, fostering greater civil society engagement and citizen participation is crucial for realizing socio-economic rights for all individuals in Croatia.
With the project, we established a system for monitoring socioeconomic inequalities and advocating for the realization of economic and social rights through strengthening the cooperation and capacities of CSOs and intersectoral cooperation. With a set of activities, we supported networking and intersectoral cooperation and building the capacity of CSOs for advocacy in the field of socioeconomic rights.
This strengthened civil society organizations for monitoring and advocacy based on research and proposals for alternative political solutions in the area of socioeconomic rights.
We created a proposal for socioeconomic policies based on international standards of economic and social rights, promoted and facilitated the participation of members of vulnerable groups, citizens, experts and policy holders in advocacy in the field of socioeconomic rights.
By implementing project activities, we contributed to formal and informal education about economic and social rights.
We have created unique progressive policy proposals in the area of work with a focus on personal assistance, in the area of housing and in the area of regional inequalities in access to education.
Although the Law on Personal Assistance entered into force on July 1, 2023, there is still room for its improvement using the proposals formulated in the policy paper. In addition, we will continue to address the issue of regional inequalities in education in cooperation with the Institute for Education Development, and the issue of progressive policies is also relevant, given that the first national strategy in the area of housing is currently being drafted - the National Plan for Housing Policies until 2030. Therefore, all three conducted studies, as well as the policy proposals based on them, remain relevant sources for future advocacy.
Additionally, with the help of this project, trade unions, CSOs, scientists and relevant experts were brought together for the first time in order to work together and exchange knowledge and experience in the field of economic and social rights. Thus, over 60 addresses have been gathered in the Database of actors dealing with economic and social rights, and towards the end of 2022 we have laid the foundations for the formation of a formal network for social and economic rights. Since before the project there was almost no discourse on economic and social rights in the public space, the shared exchange and learning increased the awareness of economic and social rights in civil society, academia and among trade unions. As a result, increased activity in this area is noticeable, through joint collaborations, new partnerships and shaped messages in the public space.
Also, we consider the expansion of topics for civic education to the topic of social and economic justice a great achievement. During 2023, we plan to expand the manual for additional topics in the segment, given the excellent response received to the first edition.
Finally, this project was both an occasion and a reason for additional learning, understanding and understanding of economic and social rights in practice. Therefore, although the project was not implemented according to plan and despite the problems that arose during the work on it, we want to look at the project positively because it laid the foundations for further and more intensive work and continued cooperation on economic and social rights in Croatia and beyond.