We cordially invite you to the opening of the exhibition as part of the campaign "Equality without excuses", which will be held on Monday, November 25, 2024, at 4:00 p.m., at the Matija Petar Katančić Memorial Center, Valpovo (Trg kralja Tomislava 12). The exhibition is being organized by the association BaBe Be active. Be emancipated., and will be open to visitors until Thursday, November 28, 2024.

With this exhibition, we want to draw attention to the problem of the unequal division of household chores in the family, where most of the burden still falls on women, who participate in these chores in a significantly higher percentage. Men often miss out on everyday household duties, citing reasons such as: "I never learned that.", "I don't have that habit.", "I'm better at other things.", "It's not for me.", "Tell me what to do and I'll do it.". At the exhibition, visitors have the opportunity to explore steps and tips that encourage equal participation of all family members in household chores. With a shared understanding and sharing of responsibilities, everyone can contribute to a fairer and happier family environment.

The exhibition is part of the campaign "Equality without excuses" which is implemented within the framework of the Thematic Systematic Support of the National Foundation for the Development of Civil Society in the area of 'Reconciling private and professional life'. Through the campaign, we aim to stimulate a broader social debate and raise awareness about a more equal distribution of household chores.

We look forward to your arrival!

On October 23, 2024, from 9:00 to 15:00, at the premises of the Judicial Academy in Zagreb, Maksimirska cesta 63, the sixth workshop for judicial officials was held as part of the SURF&SOUND 2.0 project, with the aim of strengthening capacities to combat online violence against women. The workshop was attended by 17 participants.

Krunoslav Stjepan Rajačić, Deputy County State Attorney at the County State Attorney's Office in Zagreb, gave a presentation on the topic Criminal acts of violence against women committed via the Internet or with the use of information and communication technologies: legal qualification of acts committed online and presentation of the most common criminal acts committed online and their specificities, with an emphasis on the most common criminal offenses. Renato Grgurić, an expert in IT forensics from the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, gave a presentation on the collection of digital evidence and cross-border access to electronic (digital) evidence for the purpose of effectively prosecuting online violence against women and searches of holders of electronic (digital) evidence. Judge of the Velika Gorica County Court Ivana Bilušić gave a presentation on the topic of PThe European Court of Human Rights' ruling on the issue of online violence against women and examples from case law and concerns.

The project "SURF and SOUND 2.0" aims to enable systematic work on the protection of women victims of domestic and gender-based violence in the online environment, and is implemented by the BaBe association in partnership with the Agency for Electronic Media and associated partners, the Judicial Academy and the Police Directorate. The project is funded by the European Union from the CERF - Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program and co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

On October 21, 2024, the fifth in a series of workshops for judicial officials as part of the SURF&SOUND 2.0 project was held at the Regional Center of the Judicial Academy in Osijek. The workshop was attended by 9 participants, employees of the county court and municipal and county state attorneys' offices from the Osijek-Baranja, Vukovar-Srijem, Virovitica-Podravina and Slavonia-Brod counties.

Krunoslav Stjepan Rajačić, Deputy County State Attorney at the County State Attorney's Office in Zagreb, gave a presentation on the legal qualification of crimes committed online, with an emphasis on the most common ones.

Renato Grgurić, an IT forensic expert from the Ministry of the Interior of the Republic of Croatia, gave a presentation on collecting digital evidence and cross-border access to electronic (digital) evidence for the purpose of effectively prosecuting online violence against women and searching for holders of electronic (digital) evidence.

Ivana Bilušić, judge of the Velika Gorica County Court, gave a presentation on the case law of the European Court of Human Rights related to the issue of online violence against women and presented examples and concerns from case law.

The project "SURF and SOUND 2.0" aims to enable systematic work on the protection of women victims of domestic and gender-based violence in the online environment, and is implemented by the BaBe association in partnership with the Agency for Electronic Media and associated partners, the Judicial Academy and the Police Directorate. The project is funded by the European Union from the CERF - Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program and co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

On October 17, 2024, the BaBe association hosted a Syrian delegation as part of a study visit organized as part of the project "Education for Peacebuilding", in cooperation with the EuroMed Feminist Initiative (EFI) and the Duderi organization. The visit aimed to exchange knowledge, experiences and best practices between Croatia and Syria in the field of education and peacebuilding. The delegation consisted of Dina Aboul Hosn, Sabiha Khalil, Alise Mofrej, Alice Chempf, Doris Awwad, Dania Yakoub, Naz Hami and Louise Bouzar. All participants have many years of experience working on education and peacebuilding in Syria. The representatives of the BaBe association presented an overview of their activities to promote gender equality in education, with a special emphasis on projects aimed at youth and human rights education. They particularly highlighted the experiences from Croatia in advocating for gender-sensitive education policies. The Syrian delegation showed interest in the specific challenges Croatia has faced in implementing gender-sensitive education initiatives and ways of engaging with decision-makers in this field. They discussed how these examples could be adapted and applied in the Syrian context. The importance of education as a tool for fostering peace and stability, especially in conflict-affected societies, was highlighted.

As part of the BaBe association project, which is being implemented with the support of the National Foundation for Civil Society Development, the first thematic conference entitled "Reconciling family and work life: perspectives and challenges in public policy". The conference was held on 9 October 2024 at the House of Europe in Zagreb, with the aim of opening a structured dialogue with the Ministry of Demography and Immigration and other relevant stakeholders. The focus of the conference was on identifying current challenges and needs in implementing policies that enable a better balance between private and professional life, as well as on planning future activities in this area.

Introduction and key topics

The conference was opened by Petra Kontić from the BaBe association with a welcoming speech, presenting the importance of the project and the need for coordination of public policies that support the balance between family and work responsibilities. Keynote speakers from different sectors presented their expert opinions and experiences, highlighting different aspects of the problem.

Dr. Željka Josić, MD, State Secretary of the Ministry of Demography and Immigration, held a presentation on the topic "Demographic policies and measures: balancing work and family in contemporary society"She highlighted the challenges facing families in today's society and presented the demographic measures that the Government is implementing to facilitate the reconciliation of family and work obligations.

Iva Prpić, M.Sc. from the City Office for Social Protection, Health, Veterans and Persons with Disabilities presented the activities of the City of Zagreb regarding the reconciliation of work and private life. The City of Zagreb is implementing a number of measures that include support for parents and social services for families.

Assistant Professor Anka Kekez Koštro, Ph.D. from the Faculty of Political Science highlighted the importance of public services in the process of balancing family and work life. High-quality and accessible public services, such as kindergartens, schools and social welfare, are key to enabling parents to more easily balance their private and work obligations.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Valerija Barada from the University of Zadar spoke about the specific challenges faced by families in Croatia. In a presentation titled "Families in Croatia: work, housework, children", Barada highlighted gender inequality in the division of household chores and childcare and their impact on women's employment.

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suzana Košir from the University of Maribor shared the Slovenian experience through the topic "Political participation and private life of women: the example of Slovenia"Slovenia has had some successes in promoting gender equality, but challenges remain, particularly in the context of women's political participation and their private responsibilities.

Research results

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sc. Valerija Barada presented the results of a public opinion survey conducted in 2022 as part of the BaBe association project entitled "The impact of public policies on the quality of family and working life and on the demographic picture of Croatia - spaces of change", conducted by the Department of Sociology, University of Zadar. The research showed that in Croatia there is still a pronounced imbalance between the family and professional lives of working women and men. Women are more affected by the conflict between work and family obligations, which negatively affects their quality of life.

It was found that the reconciliation of family and work responsibilities is closely linked to social policy, flexible working conditions and the availability of public services. The conference participants agreed that it is necessary to create a comprehensive public policy that will encompass the above aspects and enable a better balance between private and work life.

Conclusion and recommendations

The conference opened the space for further public debate on topics related to the reconciliation of family and work life and laid the foundation for recommendations for improving public policies. In particular, the need for harmonization of strategic documents at the national and European levels was highlighted in order to create a comprehensive framework for achieving a balance between family and professional obligations of women and men.

The conference brought together 35 participants from different sectors, including representatives of ministries, local governments, academia, civil society and the media, which enabled a rich exchange of experiences and knowledge. It is expected that the results of this conference will contribute to the development of concrete measures and activities that will facilitate the reconciliation of family and work life in Croatia.

On Friday, October 4, 2024, the fourth in a series of workshops as part of the SURF&SOUND 2.0 project was held in the Regional Center of the Judicial Academy in Split.

The workshop was intended for judicial officials, judges and state attorneys, with the aim of strengthening capacities to combat online violence against women, and 11 participants participated in its work.

The workshop leaders were Krunoslav Stjepan Rajačić, Deputy County State Attorney at the County State Attorney's Office in Zagreb, and Ivana Bilušić, judge of the County Court in Velika Gorica.

The project "SURF and SOUND 2.0" aims to enable systematic work on the protection of women victims of domestic and gender-based violence in the online environment, and is implemented by the BaBe association in partnership with the Agency for Electronic Media and associated partners, the Judicial Academy and the Police Directorate. The project is funded by the European Union from the CERF - Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program and co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

On September 27, 2024, the third in a series of workshops as part of the SURF&SOUND 2.0 project was held at the Regional Center of the Judicial Academy in Rijeka.

The workshop was intended for judicial officials, judges and state attorneys, with the aim of strengthening capacities to combat online violence against women, and 13 participants participated in its work. The participants are employees of the Municipal Court in Rijeka, the County Court in Rijeka, the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Rijeka, the County State Attorney's Office in Rijeka, the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Pazin, the Municipal State Attorney's Office in Pula, the County State Attorney's Office in Pula, and the Judicial Academy.

Krunoslav Stjepan Rajačić, Deputy County State Attorney at the County State Attorney's Office in Zagreb, gave a presentation on the topic Criminal acts of violence against women committed via the Internet or with the use of information and communication technologies: legal qualification of acts committed online and presentation of the most common criminal acts committed online and their specificities, with an emphasis on the most common criminal offenses. Judge of the Velika Gorica County Court Ivana Bilušić gave a presentation on the topic The case law of the European Court of Human Rights regarding the issue of online violence against women and Examples from case law and dilemmas.

The project "SURF and SOUND 2.0" aims to enable systematic work on the protection of women victims of domestic and gender-based violence in the online environment, and is implemented by the BaBe association in partnership with the Agency for Electronic Media and associated partners, the Judicial Academy and the Police Directorate. The project is funded by the European Union from the CERF - Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values program and co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

On September 27, 2024, we hosted 14 representatives of the FEM Süd organization from Vienna, who marked their 25th anniversary with this study visit. FEM Süd is a health center for women, parents, girls and young women that offers counseling, workshops and lectures on mental and physical health, as well as sexual and reproductive rights.

The meeting was held with the aim of exchanging good practices, knowledge and experiences. At the meeting, we presented the work of the BaBe association through programs and projects in the field of prevention of violence against women and gender equality. We talked about the position of women in Croatia and Austria, the economic problems women face, mechanisms for protecting women victims of violence, the availability of health services and the reconciliation of private and professional life.

Maja Ž. is one of many women who have gone through the hell of online violence, but Maja Ž. is also one of the few who, in these traumatic circumstances, did not choose silence, but rather fight. She told Forum.tm the details of the agony she experienced for months, which left serious consequences for her health.

You can find the article here.

As part of the SURF AND SOUND 2.0 project, the BaBe association and the Electronic Media Agency continue to implement a national awareness campaign about online violence against women with the aim of changing attitudes and behavior among the general population - while targeting both perpetrators and victims of gender-based online violence.

Online violence is just as real as offline. Report it on the NEON Platform https://babe.hr/ne-online-nasilju/

Below we present article from the portal forum.tm titled "You're disgusted by sexual harassment at work, but you don't take it seriously in the virtual world? You're very wrong"

If television is a window to the world, then the internet can be compared to a wide-open door through which even a complete stranger can enter any home. The line between the real and virtual worlds is getting thinner every year, and the boundaries between the two worlds are becoming increasingly blurred, which is rapidly changing the way we communicate.

But, along with its many advantages, such as connecting distant family members and friends, it can also have serious drawbacks. In addition to the fact that through the 'open door' of the internet, anyone can enter your life and peek into your privacy, anyone can also initiate some form of communication with you, which can very easily go off the rails and become toxic, with serious and long-lasting side effects.

In short - harassment is no longer a reality only in the real world, but has also spilled over into the virtual world, flooding Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok... Online sexual harassment encompasses a very wide range of unwanted forms of behavior in which bullies, on various platforms, use digital content, photos, videos, posts, messages, send pornographic images or videos, force unwanted conversations about sex, threaten with revenge pornography... Ending such communication seems easy and quick, because there is a 'life-saving' blocking option, but things are not always so simple and the side effects can be long-lasting, and the response of the rejected bully can be extreme. Because of all this, the victim, who finds herself the target of a predator, feels anxious, insecure, threatened, exploited, humiliated or discriminated against, and most often remains silent about her experience in the virtual world.

According to a 2021 study by the Pew Research Center, about 33 percent of women and 11 percent of men aged 35 and under have been victims of sexual harassment online. While almost everyone condemns sexual harassment in real life, such as at work or in society, in the digital context it is often not considered serious, harmful or problematic. Acceptance of inappropriateness is increasingly entrenched in modern culture, and as a result, reporting rates of this type of harassment are still very low, with only about 16 percent of women and just 5 percent of men reporting sexual harassment.

The BaBe Association, which has opened a specialized, free counseling center for victims of online violence and the online platform NEON - No to Online Violence!, has so far reported more than 150 cases of online violence, the most common forms of which are abuse by sharing or threatening to share footage of sexually explicit content without consent, online stalking and monitoring, harassment through fake profiles and publishing personal information, and online sexual extortion and blackmail.

One in 10 women in the European Union has experienced online harassment, including unwanted and offensive sexually explicit emails or text messages, and offensive and inappropriate content on social media, by the age of 15. The situation is no better in Arab countries, with a regional study showing that 60 percent of women internet users have been exposed to online violence. Almost 50 percent of women in Uganda have also experienced online harassment, and according to a 2016 survey by the Korean National Human Rights Commission, 85 percent of women have experienced hate speech online.

This, in short, means only one thing – in every corner of our planet, where the internet signal has reached, there are people who will abuse it and those who will, overnight, become their victims, because every comment, picture or video can be shared with thousands of people in a second, which can have a very negative emotional effect on an individual. In recent years, the number of reports of online sexual harassment, attacks and electronic abuse has increased, and in addition to adults, children are often also victims.

The only effective solution is education and awareness-raising, and honest and open discussions about harassment, for which the vastness of the internet has become very fertile ground. In addition to institutions, associations and campaigns, the responsibility also lies with technology companies, as well as society as a whole. The only effective 'cure' is a zero-tolerance policy for online sexual harassment, which includes any verbal, non-verbal or physical unwanted conduct of a sexual nature that is intended to or actually constitutes a violation of dignity or causes an intimidating, hostile, humiliating or offensive environment.

For the perpetrators who practice it, most often 'bravely' hidden behind their keyboards and computer screens, fake names and fake profiles, it should be noted that sexual harassment is not a game, but a criminal offense contained in the chapter of the Criminal Code (Article 156) that protects sexual freedom and in which the perpetrator exploits the victim's position of subordination (business sphere) or her vulnerability and dependence on the perpetrator. Behind online sexual harassment, predatory or humiliating communication, can also be colleagues from work, managers, superiors and even clients of the company where you work, and sexual harassment can also occur on company websites, forums and chat rooms.

Compared to other types of social power, influence in the virtual world is easily measurable, so people who have gained popularity on social networks and have 'great capital' in the number of followers, as well as the number of comments, views and clicks, sometimes abuse this influence, which can be very dangerous when it comes to sexual harassment, which is most often directed at people who are on the margins of popular social networks.

"Sexual harassment is a criminal offense that can be committed both in reality and online, and given the fact that it is related to a relationship of subordination and is typically located in the work sphere, in circumstances in which an increasing number of jobs are currently performed online and using information and communication technology, it is expected that in the future a significant number of such crimes will take place in the online sphere. A typical way of acting in the online sphere for this crime would be to send unwanted photos and comments of a sexual nature via online communication channels. Outside of situations provided for by criminal legislation, sexual harassment is also provided for as a misdemeanor under the Anti-Discrimination Act," explains the BaBe association, which, in partnership with the Agency for Electronic Media and associated partners, the Judicial Academy and the Police Directorate, is implementing the "SURF AND SOUND 2.0" project, funded by the European Union from the CERV program - Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (2021-2027), and co-financed by the Office for Cooperation with NGOs of the Government of the Republic of Croatia.

If you experience any form of harassment in the virtual world, do not look for the culprit in yourself, your profile photo, your posts and comments, and do not even think about closing your social media profiles, deleting apps and giving up the benefits of modern technology because of online bullies, because the damage has already been done to you, and such actions do not stigmatize the perpetrator and the abuse remains unpunished.

Instead, learn about your rights and gather as much evidence as possible that you have been harassed online. This could be emails, social media posts, photos, videos, comments, tweets, or direct messages sent to your inbox. It is crucial that you take screenshots as soon as possible that include the harasser's name or alias, email address, phone number, or any other visible information, and store it in a safe place and seek help.

"We have opened a specialized free counseling center for victims of online violence and have created an online platform NEON – No to Online Violence! babe.hr/neon, for reporting violence and accessing support services, and a phone number is also available: 01 4663 666," said the BaBe association.

Thanks to the funding of the SURF and SOUND project by the European Union, specialized free support services for victims of online violence at the BaBe association will be available until 2025, therefore they call on all people facing online violence not to remain silent but to report the violence, in order to receive all the necessary help and support.