Minister Pusić: Protection of minorities is fundamental test for every country

(Hina) - All people belong to some minority group and the protection of minorities is the fundamental test for every country, Croatian First Deputy Prime Minister Vesna Pusić said on Tuesday in Geneva

(Hina) - All people belong to some minority group and the protection of minorities is the fundamental test for every country, Croatian First Deputy Prime Minister Vesna Pusić said on Tuesday in Geneva at the presentation of a national report on the state of human rights according to the second cycle of the Universal Period Review.

The level of the protection and the scope of the definition of human rights is a fundamental test for every country, Pusić said in Geneva. "We see human rights as minority rights for two reasons," she said. "If minorities are satisfied with the level of the protection of their rights, it is a sure sign that human rights are protected and that the situation is good," said Pusić, who is also Croatia's Foreign and European Affairs Minister.

"Secondly, and even more importantly, all of us belong to some minority group in every society. Even if we feel like a majority, if we really think about, we are a minority according to some criteria, according to our age, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation," Pusić said. "You can always find a minority you fit into. If nothing else, with age you will find a minority you will definitely fit into," Pusić said.

At the presentation of the first report in November 2011, in the first cycle of the Universal Period Review (2008-2011), Croatia had received 116 recommendations, most of which it had accepted and already implemented.

According to Croatia's report, the country has set up a legal framework and an efficient mechanism for the fight against hate crimes and it has already started implementing measures to prevent violence at sporting events.

Croatia's Office for Gender Equality is constantly promoting campaigns aimed at increasing the representation of women. The share of women in county assemblies and municipal councils has exceeded 20% and gender parity has been achieved at the elections for members of the European Parliament in 2013 and 2014, the Croatian report said.

Many countries have congratulated Croatia on being one of the few countries in the world led by a woman president.

The reduction of unemployment and the removal of discrimination against women on the labour market as well as achieving equal opportunities are objectives of the National Policy for Gender Equality 2011-2015, which also includes measures for the reducing the gap in salaries, supporting women's entrepreneurship, managing family, private and professional commitments as well as for the participation of women in the public life, reads the Croatian report.

According to Pusić, "women are entitled to the same salary for the same job but a disguised discrimination is omnipresent and universal." "Men with the same education as their women colleagues are getting promoted more easily," Pusić said.

A German representative in Geneva said Croatia should step up measures aimed at removing discrimination against Serbs and the Roma, as well as measures to fight violence against women. A US representative also underscored the need for stepping up the rights of the LGBT minority.

The Croatian report said the country was resuming its efforts aimed at a better integration of the Roma children and young people into the education system.

With regards to providing accommodation for returnees, the country spent EUR 5.6 billion on the construction and reconstruction of houses destroyed during the war, Pusić said.

Of the 354,000 returnees, approximately 130,000 are ethnic Serbs, she said. "Homes have been built for 150,000 persons while others have received construction material or been provided with other housing options," she added.

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