Zonta Club Zagreb, together with the Croatian Nurse Association and DORA- the female part of the Rotary Club Zagreb, hosted a European House event dedicated to the International Day to end Violence against Women.

The club had two presentations:

1. Medical Emergency Insight in Violence against Women in Zagreb: Period 2011 – 2015 presented by  Slobodanka Keleuva, MD, Emergency Medicine Specialist.  This presentation showed that almost 1000 women experienced violence for which they needed medical care.
2. Violence in the Workplace over Nurses presented by  Josipa Bišćan. This presentation focused on workplace harassment directed at nurses and technicians

Bišćan researched the prevalence and forms of violence against nurses employed in health activities: the means of the occurrence and severity of violence; intensity that respondents recognize; and perceived where there are similarities and differences between health care institutions. Respondents (n=792) were nurses from six Croatian, which made the occasional stratified sample of 33 percent of nurses of the total number working at each medical institution. Methods used in the survey were anonymous. Results showed that the violence was largely carried out by the patient more toward nurses (82.9 percent) than against other health professionals (13 percent). Significant differences are: the scope of work that should be done for the unrealistically short time, stress from work – which is carried on the family and private life, lack of institutional support after the attacks, insufficient material remunerated for their dedication to the work, as well as the inability to use adequate knowledge and skills on the job, unsafe work environment, inadequate equipment and resources, exposure to attacks, insults, threats and complaints by colleagues.

Discussion, which followed the presentations, was very productive and the main conclusion was that Croatia needs specific national protocols in violence resolution. The club resolved to contact relevant state institutions.