Original scientific paper

https://doi.org/10.20901/pp.14.1.05

Gender Equality in Criminal Justice Policy Against Stalking in Croatia

Tena Vranek
Krešimir Petković orcid.org/0000-0003-3319-1838 ; University of Zagreb, Faculty of Political Science *

* Corresponding author.

Abstract

Stalking is a cause of psychological damage, a form of victimization, and a warning for future violence. As a criminal offense, it was introduced in the Penal Code of the Republic of Croatia, in force since 2013, but there are still problems with defining it precisely. Given that the victims of stalking in most cases are women, the fact that this crime is not gender specific is often overlooked. Although studies have shown that female stalkers do not differ significantly
from male ones, gender bias often leads to an underestimation of women’s potential for violence. The aim of this study is to determine whether there is gender equality in penal policy towards stalking in Croatia. To answer this question, the authors analyzed the court judgements from various courts in the Republic of Croatia and paired it with a survey to get an insight into the citizen’s perception of stalking.

Keywords

stalking, gender equality, criminal justice policy, Penal Code of the Republic of Croatia, judicial policy, citizen’s attitudes

Hrčak ID:

318608

URI

https://hrcak.srce.hr/318608

Publication date:

29.6.2024.

Article data in other languages: croatian

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