A Child Friendly City is a local system of good governance
committed to fulfilling children's rights
Croatia
Towns and Districts Friends of Children
Launched in 1999, the Croatian Towns and Districts Friends of Children Initiative has mobilized a broad coalition including the Union of Societies "Our Children, Croatia", the Croatian Society for Social and Preventive Pediatrics and the Ministry of Family, Veterans’ Affairs and Intergenerational Solidarity (since 2005). The programme, sponsored by UNICEF, promoted actions to fulfil the rights and needs of children. Local authorities and civil society, children's institutions, parents and children committed to make their towns and districts more child friendly and monitor achievements through a complex set of rights-based indicators. The initiative built on the partnerships developed by the Town Mayors Defenders of Children launched during the Balkans war as a way to assist displaced children. The programme aimed to mobilize local governments, professional services, children's institutions, civic associations, trade and other legal entities, and parents and children in their towns and districts to do, jointly, whatever they can to benefit children. The programme recorded the results achieved, evaluated progress made and encouraged media assessment of this progress. The initiative has recently been included in in the Croatian “National Plan of Activities for the Rights and Interests of Children” (2006-2012) and involves 71 towns/districts. 25 towns after having followed a procedure including self-evaluation and evaluation by an external agency surveying children and parents, have achieved the honorary title of “Town/District Friend of Children”.
Contact
Deniza Drusany (Union of Societies "Our Children" Croatia)
E-mail: deniza@savez-dnd.hr
