Intervju-Gordana Lukač-Koritnik: Pravobraniteljica za ravnopravnost spolova
Interview-Gordana Lukač-Koritnik: Gender Equality Ombudsman in the Republic of Croatia

Summary/Abstract: The Policy of equal opportunities is highly ranked on priority lists of European Union despite the fact that in Central-Eastern Europe, and therefore in Croatia, at the beginning of transition process, it has been only partially recognised as an imperative for democratisation process. New legal practices in the gender equality area in this part of the world often represent the way of extorting extra ticket for entering European Union, and in Croatia, these are additionaly multiplied by ten-year involvement of networked women's organizations. During last year, Croatia has for the first time started preparation of separate anti-discrimination laws, and these processes have resulted in creation of our first Law on Gender Equality. Since October 1, Croatia has Gender Equality Ombudsman, and Gordana Lukač-Koritnik, renowned lawyer from Zagreb and activist with many years of experience on the women's scene in Croatia and on international level, has been appointed. She explains numerous operations conducted on the legal level, such as introducing the ombudsman position the Law on Gender Equality, Agreement on Stabilisation and Joining European Union. She also provides detailed description of her job's domain and states that characteristic of each Ombudsman in Sweden, e.g. how they conduct their work independently and autonomously manner. She lists typical cases submitted to her. In many cases women approach her when they have been biased because of their gender by their future employer, or when they become pregnant. In most cases she deals with women victims of domestic violence, who complain about the slowliness of other state services. She also brushes upon the sexual harassment topic says that the Law defines gender biased discrimination as direct, indirect and as harassment, and adds that people often do not recognize it.

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