Croatia: Safe Teen Relationships Become a National Concern
Before 2003, teenage girls and boys in Croatia could find little information in their high schools about the potential for violence in relationships. But the potential was obviously there: A survey of 600 students found that 60 per cent had experienced some form of violence in an intimate relationship.
The survey was conducted by Croatia’s Centre for Education and Counselling of Women (CESI) through a UN Trust Fund grant, with additional financing from the Croatian Government and the city of Zagreb. As the first study on a previously hidden topic, it sparked national debate and action.
CESI, with previous experience in creating courses on gender for schools, used the survey data to design a Dating Violence Prevention Programme. Thirty trained educators have since offered the programme to 2,700 students in 22 cities. A brochure and website (www.sezam-hr.net) have ensured that information about teen dating violence can be found by tens of thousands of young people across the country.
The UN Trust Fund has helped CESI move towards its overarching goal of including dating violence information in the standard school curriculum. This will be an essential part of a follow-up project funded in part by the European Commission and the Ministry of Education.
