Croatia's next periodic review before the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is scheduled in 2019, and alternative reporting procedures have already begun. For civil society organisations, alternative reporting procedures are an opportunity to highlight areas covered by the Convention on the Rights of the Child that Croatia is not fulfilling, fulfilling partially or inadequately.
Roda continued its collaboration with the Coordination of Associations for Children as one of the partners included in preparing the report. We are especially proud to have contributed or participated in the formulation of a number of Roda's core issues to the report, including:
- Out of hospital birth (registering children born at home, lack of framework for healthcare providers to attend out of hospital births)
- Problems in maternity care (shortage of midwives, disrespect and abuse in maternity care, lack of evidence-based care during birth, problems with transport of premature or sick infants to more specialised hospitals)
- Lack of a human milk bank to provide milk for sick and very premature babies; lack of evidence-based regulations for hospitalised children to be fed their mother's expressed milk
- Shortage of pediatric teams to provide primary healthcare for children (including lack of palliative paedeatric care and lack of mental health services for children and youth)
- Inconsistencies and unfair maternity policies (lack of paternal leave, discrimination and (too) strict stipulations in the Maternity and Parental Benefits Act)
- Lack of access to hospitalised children (inadequate visitation and co-care of infants in neonatal intensive care units, lack of possibility or inadequate facilities for parents to stay with hospitalised children)
- Children's road traffic safety (use of car seats and restraint systems)
- Inconsistent availability and inadequate uptake of creches and kindergartens
- Curricular reform for state schools
- Lack of access to quality, affordable school meals and after-school programs
- Lack of measures ensuring that fast food outlets are not located near schools
- Lack of measures to restrict the sale and advertising of energy drinks to children under 18 years of age
- Access to age-appropriate food for children in emergency situations, including the protection and promotion of breastfeeding during emergencies
- The rights and discrimination faced by young children living with their incarcerated mothers
- Children of parents in prison who face problems, discrimination and barriers when and to visiting their parents in prison
The report is available as a PDF in English below.
About the Reporting Procedure
As part of the Coordination of Associations for Children, Roda participated in the preparation of a List of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPR), a step in the Simplified Reporting Procedure. The LOIPR aims to help states to prepare reports focused on key priority areas defined by a public list of limited issues. These issues are adopted by the CRC based on reports submitted to them by UN entities, NGOs, NHRIs, and other stakeholders. Croatia is one of the first countries to participate in this new reporting mechanism.
Organisations from the Coordination of Associations for Children who contributed to the report are:
ADOPTA – Organisation for the support to adoption
Are You Syrious (AYS)
Association „Children first"
Association of Youth and Family Judges and Specialists
Centre for missing and exploited children Croatia
Croatian Association on Early Childhood Intervention
Forum for Freedom in Education
Inclusion Support Center IDEM
Open Academy Step by Step
"Our children" Society Opatija
Parents' Association "Step by Step"
RODA Parents in Action
SOS Children's Village Croatia
Status: M
The Union of Societies "Our children" Croatia
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