CROATIAN MINISTER SPEAKS AT UN CONFERENCE IN GENEVA

GENEVA, March 16 (Hina) - The Croatian Minister for the Family, War Veterans Affairs and Inter-Generation Solidarity, Jadranka Kosor, said in Geneva on Tuesday that in combating violence against women on the global level the first steps must be made on the national level#L# According to a statement issued by the Croatian Permanent Mission to the UN, Kosor attended a conference which focused on the problem of violence against women as a global threat. She addressed the Human Rights Commission in Geneva at the part of the session for high state officials. Croatia, as a transit country for the victims of people smuggling and a country that is trying to prevent this, has founded a national committee for the prevention of people trafficking, the statement said. The committee has drafted a national plan for the assistance and protection of victims, prevention, education and international cooperation, Kosor said. The minister stressed that Croatia faced the problem of missing persons, widows and war veterans. She also stressed the problems of mines left from the 1990s war. Croatia has also established a foundation called Croatia Free of Mines which is involved in demining projects. Kosor pointed to the co-dependance of all human rights and said Croatia's priorities were to eliminate discrimination, protect minorities and their rights, cooperate with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia and the International Criminal Court, promote children's rights, freedom of opinion and faith, and the return of refugees. A declaration which harshly condemns violence against women worldwide and proposes efficient measures for its prevention was adopted at the session of the UN Human Rights Commission. By signing the declaration, Croatia has joined a group of 20 countries who joined in the struggle against violence against women, the statement said. (Hina) it SB