America News Agency

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said in a post marking the National Day for Combating Violence Against Women that protecting women is one of the fundamental elements of a fair and safe society.

Plenkovic said violence against women cannot be justified in any way and should not be tolerated.

Plenkovic said progress had been made in legislation as part of the dialogue between the Croatian government and civil society organizations on combating violence against women, adding that penalties had been increased, the position of victims of domestic violence had been improved, and new categories of offenses had been added to the regulations.

Plenkovic said aggravated murder of a woman carries a prison sentence of up to 40 years.

He noted that when protective measures are implemented, risk factors related to the recurrence of violence and the results of assessments of the victim’s needs are taken into account.

Plenkovic said that if protective measures are violated, the suspect can be detained and arrested within 24 hours, adding that the government will continue to take measures to combat violence against women.

Plenkovic also emphasized that creating a society in which women feel safe and equal is everyone’s responsibility.