Vidović: Social justice in Croatia is merely a wish, one in five people is at risk of poverty

Ombudswoman Lora Vidović warned on Monday, on the occasion of World Social Justice Day, that social justice in Croatia remains merely a wish and not an achievement, as one in five people lives at risk of poverty, while more than 180,000 pensioners receive a pension of less than 1,000 kuna.

In a society where social justice prevails, all citizens have equal opportunities in education, employment, work, and other areas of life, which is not only guaranteed by law but also achievable in everyday life, reminds the ombudswoman ahead of World Social Justice Day, which is marked on January 20 at the initiative of the United Nations.

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Almost 200,000 people are unemployed, while more than 180,000 pensioners receive a pension of less than 1,000 kuna. In addition, many citizens do not have access to public services, such as timely healthcare, education, or public transport, and one in five people believes they have been discriminated against at least once in the last five years, warned the ombudswoman.

She emphasized that combating poverty and social exclusion, respecting workers’ rights, equality of all citizens before the law, and combating discrimination is only possible with quality public policies based on respecting and promoting human rights.

– This is the only way to systematically address the problems that citizens face, primarily the most vulnerable groups – the elderly, the poor, people with health issues, but also residents of rural areas, emphasizes Lora Vidović on the occasion of World Social Justice Day.

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However, she warned that we often witness only ‘firefighting measures’, that is, quick but partial responses to key problems in Croatia, among which the most prominent example is the Enforcement Law.

– The last amendments were certainly welcome, but by no means sufficient, and a comprehensive solution has not been announced even for 2018. Thus, the enforcement system continues to accelerate the impoverishment of citizens and pushes them to the margins of society, thereby making it more difficult to repay the debt itself, says the ombudswoman.

It is concerning that Croatia still lacks a strategy on social housing or homelessness, as well as solutions to reduce waiting lists for healthcare services, combat energy poverty, or, for example, sustainable operation of social supermarkets.

The ombudswoman points out these issues in annual reports on the state of human rights, in which she provides recommendations for eliminating systemic problems that citizens face daily. However, she announced that, due to the lack of key changes, a good portion of the warnings will be repeated in the report for 2017, which is in preparation and will be submitted to the Croatian Parliament by the end of March.