.png)
Zagreb - Roma minority MP Veljko Kajtazi said on Wednesday, on the occasion of International Women's Day, that Roma women were often exposed to multiple discrimination and consequently social exclusion.
"Roma women need greater support, state institutions must be able to identify it," the MP said in the parliament, citing data from a 2018 survey showing that Roma women are exposed to multiple discrimination.
In the Roma population, the number of women without any education qualifications is twice the number of such men, most of them do not work and are housewives while those who do work mostly have temporary or seasonal jobs.
Too many Roma women are illiterate, as many as 17.3%, and another major problem is early school-leaving, he said.
"Only 8% of Roma women in Croatia perform some kind of paid work and in that regard they have the worst status in all of EU countries," he said.
Anka Mrak Taritaš (GLAS) commented on mothers with the status of caregivers, recalling that the government had rejected her proposal to extend, by six months, the status of caregivers for parents whose child dies.
"I was shocked by the government's opinion... it is telling parents - caregivers without any empathy or understanding that they have unemployment benefits," said Mrak Taritaš.
Ivana Kekin (Green-Left Bloc) said that the struggle for women's rights is not over because many have two jobs, one that they are paid for and the other one - care for the household and children - that they are not paid for.
"We work out whole lives more and earn less, we have lower pensions than men, and at the same time we continue to be exposed to harassment and violence," she said.
"On top of that - and this is a direct consequence of the government's policy which clearly shows where the HDZ sees women in society, politics and family - those who wish to even more radically trample on human rights have been increasingly vocal lately," Kekin said, adding that this would not be tolerated.
"No way we will move backward, we can only move forward, long live March 8, see you in the streets," she said.
MP Katarina Peović (HSS/Workers Front) said some thought it was sufficient to recall that women should have equal rights as men but did not think that workers in Croatia should have the right to their hard-earned wages and severance packages.
Branka Juričev Martinov of the ruling HDZ party said that a lot of effort remained to be invested to achieve the economic, political and social equality of women and women.
She also objected that MPs from the Homeland Movement, Croatian Sovereignists and Bridge did not make any statements on the occasion of International Women's Day.