Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, April 2018: Croatia (Extract 1)

In my own country, Croatia, rape was used as a method of intimidation and terror during the aggression to which we were exposed. Some 2,500 people — mostly women but also men — are estimated to have suffered severe forms of sexual violence during the Homeland War. Most of these cases remain unprosecuted and perpetrators continue to go unpunished. As the punishment of perpetrators remains a priority for Croatia, the Law on the Rights of the Victims of Sexual Violence in the Homeland War, adopted in 2015, provides victims with support, recognition and compensation, even if the perpetrators are never found or brought to justice.