Croatia: Sign the petition asking Croatian government to decriminalise sex work
A law inherited from Yugoslavia criminalises the use of public space by women in Croatia in 2021.
The general Croatian public opinion doesn't support the patriarchal morality on which the Croatian Act on Misdemeanour on Public Peace and Order is based. It is inconceivable that the authorities can criminalise women simply for the appreciation of being practising in a "suspicious street", being a "suspected person" of offering sexual services that usually translates to being a woman in a difficult socio-economic situation.
This Act also criminalises any form of organisation from sex workers, contrary to the basic human right of free association.
The criminalisation of sex workers is to criminalise the freedom of all women in their diversity. As ESWA, we aim to gather 10,000 signatures that will be sent in an open letter to the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, demanding the repeal of this outdated law.
ESWA supports sex workers in Croatia and demands:
- The removal of the above-mentioned provision.
- The reform of Croatian Law towards decriminalising sex work.
- The meaningful involvement of sex workers in the reform, law and policymaking process.
We ask you to help us support Croatian sex workers in their demands by signing to remove the Act on Misdemeanour on Public Peace and Order as it is an outdated law that can also criminalise any women on their use of the public space.