Between August 2014, when the Life Partnership Act went into force, and the end of 2015, 108 life partnerships were registered - 6.4 per month on average, while in 2016 an average 5.5 such partnerships were registered.
Ombudswoman Visnja Ljubicic said that there were no obstacles to the enforcement of the law last year, but pointed to insufficient efficiency in the protection of the physical integrity of homosexuals and the prevention of crimes motivated by hatred towards that group.
Justice Ministry data show that last year four new cases involving crime motivated by prejudice based on sexual orientation were taken to court, of which two ended in a conviction and rulings for the remaining two are still pending.
Police data shows that last year 35 hate crimes were registered, including three motivated by hate towards homosexuals.
The system for the protection of the freedom of public assembly and of sexual and gender minorities functioned in an exemplary way, all Pride parades were held without any visible expressions of intolerance or obvious acts of provocation, Ljubicic said.
She also warned about an extremely low employment rate among elderly women, saying that one in three working-age women older than 54 did not work, which she said increased the risk of poverty and social exclusion.