ZAGREB, Nov 21 (Hina) - A bill on families, marriage and de facto relationships, namely a solution under which provisions referring to de facto relationships would apply also to persons of the same gender living together, divided
opinions amongst government members at Thursday's session.
ZAGREB, Nov 21 (Hina) - A bill on families, marriage and de facto
relationships, namely a solution under which provisions referring
to de facto relationships would apply also to persons of the same
gender living together, divided opinions amongst government
members at Thursday's session. #L#
The bill was sent to the Sabor for parliamentary procedure with five
ministers being sustained in their voting, four from the Croatian
Peasants' Party (HSS) and one Social Democrat (SDP), Sime Lucin.
Even though government members do not object to giving equal rights
to de facto relationships for members of the same gender as to those
among men and women in the joint division of property and the right
to support, the HSS believes this issue should be regulated by some
other law and not the one defining the family.
SDP's Lucin believes that de facto relationships where both members
are of the same gender should be given more rights than those
proposed.
Labour and Social Welfare Minister Davorko Vidovic, in whose
portfolio this issue lies, believes that provisions on same sex de
facto relationships has overshadowed other things proposed in the
bill.
Vidovic believes that the solution proposed was supported by a
survey conducted in October 2001, according to which more the 70
percent of those surveyed stated the right to support and division
of property should be given also to couples of the same gender.
Other proposals in the bill are improved protection for the rights
for children, and the institute of adoption and welfare of
children.
Undivided support was given to a bill relating to protection from
violence in families which is the first time this entire area is
regulated by law.
A significant novelty is that abusers are to be removed from the
family and are obliged to undergo medical treatment. Monetary fines
oblige that abuse must be reported by personnel in health, social
welfare, and police institutions who have such information.
Research has shown that every fourth girl and every sixth boy is
sexually abused and there are almost no children who have not been
exposed to some form of violence, Justice Minister Ingrid Anticevic
Marinovic said.
The bill is to publicly come to terms with this fact and as such
create the legal basis to punish abusers, she stated.
The government forwarded into parliamentary procedure also a bill
of amendments to the law on the Croatian Academy of Arts and
Sciences (HAZU), according to which retired academicians will be
ensured a supplement to their pensions which can amount to a maximum
of 3.3 average earnings.
About 4.1 million kuna (0.55 million euros) will be required by the
Pension Fund for this initiative covering 103 academicians.
The government was presented with a national plan of action for
improved supervision of the borders and the prevention of illegal
migration.
The objective of the plan, which requires more than a million euros,
is to introduce European standards on Croatian state borders which
stretch over 3,352 km.
(hina) sp/ha sb