Danijela R. came to us for help after all the doors of the institutions responsible for helping her were closed. On Monday, she told journalists, gathered at the invitation of Baba on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, about her harrowing journey through the institutions - the rapist did not answer, he lives freely, perhaps lurking for a new victim, but the Croatian system, which has made a series of omissions (from investigation to refusal to prosecute), will not go unpunished. Thanks to Danijela's courage and persistence, as well as the expertise of lawyer Ines Bojić from the BaBe! legal team, Danijela won the case before the European Court of Human Rights. She is satisfied, she says, because this ruling gives her hope that at least the system will not harm any other victims of violence.
Danijela's case is not the only one that Ines Bojić has defended before the European Court of Human Rights - another verdict was rendered in favor of the victim, and the second case was concluded with a settlement. Unfortunately, neither of these two victims can enjoy justice, because their partners killed them. Ljubica Matijević Vrsaljko, head of the BaBe! legal team, spoke to reporters about the shortcomings and irregularities of the system that stand in the way of victims of violence when they decide to protect themselves. She also warned about the recent murder in Osijek and the fact that a woman might be alive today if her neighbors had not ignored her calls for help. With silence, we approve of violence, which rarely ends in murder.
We continued the Open Door Day by talking to our fellow citizens. The legal team and psychologist Senka Sekulić Rebić directed those interested to the institutions they can turn to in cases of violence, what they can expect and receive from them, with special emphasis on the problem of violence that is not treated as domestic violence according to our law. The experts had their hands full, they spoke in groups, but also individually, because some women did not have the courage to present their problems to others, and the Open Doors provided an opportunity to receive advice without prior notice and waiting for an appointment, which is now over 30 days.
The great need for legal and psychological advice, which is mostly sought by women and only a few men, is barely covered by our team's current capacity, and this data illustrates that Croatian society still has a long way to go in efforts to eliminate violence against women.
