Torture in [Croatia] [other countries]
Human Trafficking in [Croatia] [other countries]
Street Children in [Croatia] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Croatia] [other countries]
 

Child Prostitution

The Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children

In the early years of the 21st Century - 2000 to 2010 gvnet.com/childprostitution/Croatia.htm

Republic of Croatia Once one of the wealthiest of the Yugoslav republics, Croatia's economy suffered badly during the 1991-95 war as output collapsed and the country missed the early waves of investment in Central and Eastern Europe that followed the fall of the Berlin Wall. Since 2000, however, Croatia's economic fortunes have begun to improve slowly, with moderate but steady GDP growth between 4% and 6% led by a rebound in tourism and credit-driven consumer spending. Inflation over the same period has remained tame and the currency, the kuna, stable. Nevertheless, difficult problems still remain, including a stubbornly high unemployment rate, a growing trade deficit and uneven regional development. [The World Factbook, U.S.C.I.A. 2009]

CAUTION:  The following links and accompanying text have been culled from the web to illuminate the situation in Croatia. Some of these links may lead to websites that present allegations that are unsubstantiated, misleading or even false. No attempt has been made to validate their authenticity or to verify their content.

*** ARCHIVES ***

The Department of Labor’s 2004 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor

U.S. Dept of Labor Bureau of International Labor Affairs, 2005

www.dol.gov/ilab/media/reports/iclp/tda2004/croatia.htm

[accessed 30 January 2011]

INCIDENCE AND NATURE OF CHILD LABOR - Statistics on the number of working children under age 15 in Croatia are unavailable. There is also limited information on the nature of child labor in Croatia. Reports indicate that Croatia is primarily a transit country, and to a limited extent is also a destination country for trafficking of children for commercial sexual exploitation.

CHILD LABOR LAWS AND ENFORCEMENT - The Criminal Code also outlaws international prostitution, including solicitation of a minor, and prohibits procurement of minors for sexual purposes.

Human Rights Reports » 2005 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices

U.S. Dept of State Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor, March 8, 2006

www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61642.htm

[accessed 30 January 2011]

TRAFFICKING IN PERSONS - The country was primarily a transit country for women and girls trafficked to other parts of Europe for prostitution, as well as a lesser but increasing, source and destination country for trafficked women.

Concluding Observations Of The Committee On The Rights Of The Child (CRC)

UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, 1 October 2004

www1.umn.edu/humanrts/crc/croatia2004.html

[accessed 30 January 2011]

[17] The Committee is concerned about the absence of disaggregated statistical data and other information on the situation of children, especially those belonging to different ethnic groups and the most vulnerable groups. This type of information is lacking in particular with respect to girl children, street children, disabled children, displaced, refugees and asylum-seekers children, children from minority groups, Roma children.

[66] While welcoming the measures taken by the State party to prevent and raise awareness of the problem of trafficking in persons, including the establishment of the National Committee for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons responsible for formulating and implementing the National Plan for the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons, it remains concerned about the effective implementation of the Plan and at the lack of statistical data and specific information on measures undertaken to combat trafficking.

ECPAT Report On The Implementation Of The Agenda For Action Against The Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children 2002-2003 [DOC]

ECPAT International, 2004 -- The seventh report on the Implementation of the Agenda for Action adopted at the World Congress against Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children held in Stockholm, Sweden, August 1996.

At one time this article had been archived and may possibly still be accessible [here]

[accessed 6 May 2011]

BACKGROUND - In Croatia, 198 women from Romania, Serbia-Montenegro, Moldova, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Bulgaria, FYR Macedonia and Ukraine were deported in 2000. In the same year, 180 unaccompanied foreign children were found [in Croatia]. Most of them were from Turkey, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Romania, Serbia-Montenegro and Bangladesh”. Twenty-seven were girls who were victims of commercial sexual exploitation.

Destination Croatia

child-hood.com, Country Information Croatia

www.child-hood.com/index.php?id=726&type=6&type=6

[accessed 6 May 2011]

COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN IN TOURISM - Croatia does not play a major role as a destination for paedo-sexual perpetrators, but there have recently been increased numbers of reports about forced prostitution in the coastal towns. The country is also a staging-post for traffickers transporting victims from the Ukraine, Romania or Bulgaria into Western Europe. But Croat women and children are also taken, mainly to west European countries where they are sexually abused and exploited.

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Torture in [Croatia] [other countries]
Human Trafficking in [Croatia] [other countries]
Street Children in [Croatia] [other countries]
Child Prostitution in [Croatia] [other countries]