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THE SOCIALLY EXCLUDEDCHAPTER 3civil rights of sexual minorities which has a negativeimpact on the quality of their life. The stigma andthe discrimination, which are connected with thedenial of certain rights, play a significant role in theincreased level of mental problems within this socialgroup. Another dimension is the exposure of sexualminorities to mental and physical abuse; an increasedrisk of victimization at public places, which causesfeelings of insecurity and is responsible for potentially(auto)destructive mental mechanisms (Pikićand Jugović, 2006). 168 The wide-spread intoleranceand homophobia in the general public is closely connectedwith this, which is reflected in an environmentwhere discrimination and abuse often pass with latentapproval. For sexual minorities, legislative reformsand public sensitisation are key social imperatives.3.14.7 Policy ImplicationsThe position (and consequently the vulnerability)of sexual minorities in Croatia can and should beimproved through a combination of legal and educationalmeasures. Amendments to the existing SamesexUnion Act enabling the registration of same sexcouples and ensuring equal rights regarding marriageand parenthood, should be adopted as a priority. 169To aid this process, it would be helpful to organizea coordinated information campaign amongst MPsand the leaders of parliamentary parties. 170 The recentintroduction of hate crimes into the Criminal Actis an important legislative improvement. However, sofar, the scope of the provision is quite limited, withhate crimes only recognized if they result in the criminalact of murder (the hatred being an aggravatingcircumstance). Even so, this is still an important firststep in drawing attention to the violence committedagainst sexual minorities. This process needs tobe continued by applying the qualification of a hatecrime to other punishable actions (e.g., physical harm,sexual violence, etc.) in order to further deter violenceagainst this social group.The need for information dissemination and educationis a considerably more complex and versatile task.Programmes that promote understanding and tolerancetowards sexual diversity in various segments ofthe population need to be developed, implementedand evaluated. Information and educational effortsshould include youth (especially school-aged childrenand minors), their parents, experts in specificareas (the judiciary, the police, social workers, healthcare professionals – especially in the area of mentalhealth - and the educational system), as well as thegeneral population. In schools, sensitisation could beachieved by the planned introduction of health education,which will include modules on human sexualityand the prevention of violence. The sensitisationof experts, with the purpose of making them moreaware of the possible ‘’hetero-normative’’ constraintsof their practice, as well as informing them aboutthe specific needs of sexual minorities, should beorganized in cooperation with professional organizationsand civil society. Finally, sensitising the generalpublic will require the dedicated engagement of theelectronic media, especially the public TV.168 More than 40% of subjects surveyed in the first study on violence against persons of non-standard sexual orientation in Croatiaconsidered suicide at least once (Pikić and Jugović, 2006.).169 Whether the right to adopt children will find its place amongst these rights should be left to an argumented expert and publicdiscussion. The realisation of full equality of sexual minorities should be viewed as a process which must take into account the values andjudgments present in the public. Needless to say, these values need to be viewed as temporary and changeable.170 Perhaps even direct suggestions of the European Union.171 Recently, an advocacy program related to counselling LGBTIQ individuals was started by an NGO. Also, American PsychologicalAssociation’s guidelines for working with LGB individuals and The Harry Benjamin International Gender Dysphoria Association’s Standardsof Care for Gender Identity Disorders were translated (Ženska soba, 2006; http://www.zenskasoba.hr/public_html/index.php?option=content&task=view&id=50&Itemid=51).121
CHAPTER 3THE SOCIALLY EXCLUDED3.15 People with Dependency ProblemsBox 22: Growing up in a family with alcoholicparents“My father and my mother were serious alcoholics.My father would drink a bottle of hard liquor a day,but he handled it pretty well. My mother woulddrink to the point of collapsing. When my motherwas drunk in the house, there would regularly bescreaming and fighting; she acted in a sexuallydeviant manner and sometimes tried to abuse mesexually. I remember that once my father beat herup after she kept trying to get into my bed.As the eldest child in a family with alcoholic parents,I had to grow up fast and assume responsibility formyself, my brothers, and our household. My taskwas to cheer up dad, so that he wouldn’t yell atour drunken mother, or start drinking himself andsmashing things around the house, beating us, aswell. I was born old. I don’t remember ever havinga childhood or youth.”3.15.1 Human RightsAlcohol abusersIt is estimated that 6% of the Croatian populationabuse alcohol. Fifteen percent of the adult malepopulation and 4% of adult females drink excessively.Since a moderate consumption of alcohol is toleratedin Croatian culture, as well as individuals who drinkexcessively, alcoholics are socially assimilated, andtheir human rights are not threatened in a fundamentalsense. However, people who have problemswith excessive drinking tend to be responsible for thegreatest number of social deviations, thus directlyjeopardising the rights of others. Their dysfunctionalbehaviour, although having unfavourable effects onthe immediate family and working environment, israrely sanctioned. The immediate responsibility of theMinistries of Justice, the Interior, Healthcare and SocialWelfare is to provide protection to the individualswho share family, working and living environmentswith alcoholics.Users of psychoactive drugsIn the past 15 years, drugs have become more accessible,cheaper and prevailing. Thus, occasional drugusers, who might have remained so in the unorganiseddrug market, have developed an addiction in a shortperiod of time. Similarly, those who have consumedsoft drugs such as marijuana, as well as youth whorecreationally use ecstasy-speed now switch to heroinin a shorter period of time and in greater numbers. Itis now common for individuals to have their first experiencewith drugs between the ages of 14-16, andfor an increasing number of them heroin is the firstdrug of choice. Youth seem to no longer feel drugs aresomething dangerous, prohibited or harmful, so drugsare assuming the role that alcohol use to play. In 2004,the ratio of men to women treated for drug-relatedproblems was 5.2:1 in favour of the male sex. In Croatia,the public is extremely sensitised to the problem ofdrug abuse. Numerous institutions have programmesfor helping drug users, which is frequently above thelevel that exists in many developed western countries.The problem of drug abuse is elevated to the level of apolitical and social problem.3.15.2 Access to Healthcare and SocialServicesAlcohol abusersIn Croatia, the treatment for alcoholics is at an unsatisfactorylow level. The health system suffers from adeficiency of psychiatrists, physicians, social workers,and pedagogues that are especially trained toprovide help to people with drinking problems. Thegeneral level of knowledge about secondary problemscaused by alcohol abuse is also inefficiently low.Psychiatrists tend to feel that dealing with peoplewith drinking problems is not within their scope ofpractice. As a result they tend to deal with the issuefrom a moral and not a medical standpoint.The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is responsiblefor the implementation and control of preventativeprogrammes for alcohol-induced disorders. Withinthe Ministry, the social welfare department plays alarger role than the health department, because in their122
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Human Development ReportCroatia 200
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CONTENTS
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CONTENTS3.2.8 Access to Housing and
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CONTENTS3.9.5 Access to Information
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CONTENTSChapter 4: Key Challenges4.
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CHAPTER 1CONCEPT OF SOCIAL EXCLUSIO
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Page 152 and 153: STATISTICAL ANNEX2005s dohodkom u n
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Page 156 and 157: STATISTICAL ANNEXWater, sanitation
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Page 160 and 161: STATISTICAL ANNEXStatus of major UN
Page 162 and 163: BIBLIOGRAPHYBibliographyACUTE (2005
Page 164 and 165: BIBLIOGRAPHYGallie, D. (ed.), (2004
Page 166 and 167: BIBLIOGRAPHYPovjerenstvo Vlade Repu
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BIBLIOGRAPHYWorld Bank (2006). Worl
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Nations Development Programme (UNDP
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