The Republic of Croatia, which declared its independence from the Yugoslavia in 1991 was quickly followed by four years of war and the best part of a decade of authoritarian nationalism under President Franjo Tudjman.
The country of 4.4 million citizens, had made progress over the years since independence and in early 2003 it began removing the legacy of those years and applied for EU membership, becoming the second former Yugoslav republic after Slovenia to do so.
Despite a recent war of independence, Croatia is committed to recognize and respect fundamental human rights, particularly through the adoption of legislation. However, thus far, compliance with regard to specific children’s rights in Croatia has fallen far short of its stated goals. Indeed, many violations are rampant in several spheres: such as child abuse, child labour, and child marriage.
