domestic work, street vending and in artisanal gold mining.” He also raised concerns “about the fate of girls who have either been trafficked from countries in the region to Côte d’Ivoire for sexual exploitation or who are subject to forced and early marriage”. 1. “Côte d’Ivoire: Amnesty International demands immediate release of arbitrarily detained PPA-CI activists”, 13 March (French only) CROATIA Republic of Croatia Summary returns and violence against refugees and migrants continued. The government committed to tackling the growing number of strategic lawsuits against public participation threatening the work of journalists and media. Access to abortion remained restricted. The government announced measures to suppress widespread domestic violence. Victims of wartime rape faced obstacles in accessing rights. Roma and Serb minorities continued to experience entrenched discrimination. REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS According to the authorities, the number of people trying to enter Croatia through neighbouring countries increased by 70% compared with 2022, with over 65,000 recorded entries by November. Aid organizations continued to document violations against refugees and migrants, including illegal summary returns, physical violence, humiliation and theft by lawenforcement officials. In October, the CERD Committee urged Croatia to cease collective expulsions and pushbacks, and investigate incidents of excessive use of force against refugees and migrants. FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION Journalists investigating organized crime and corruption continued to face harassment, The State of the World’s Human Rights including strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs). According to a survey by the Croatian Journalists’ Association, there were at least 945 SLAPPs against editors and journalists, mostly filed by public officials. Defamation remained a criminal offence. In December, the government adopted the National Plan on Culture and Media Development 2023-2027, which included concrete measures to facilitate early detection and dismissal of SLAPPs. In July, the Ministry of Culture and Media proposed a draft media law, which, among other things, would allow publishers and editors to refuse to publish a journalist’s reports without explanation, and would require journalists to reveal their sources. The Croatian Journalists’ Association argued that the law would seriously undermine journalistic freedom and encourage media censorship. The International Federation of Journalists urged the government to “rethink” the proposal. SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Widespread refusal by individual doctors and clinics to perform abortions on grounds of conscience, and the prohibitive cost of the procedure and medicines, continued to restrict access to abortion services. Abortion remained particularly inaccessible in rural and economically deprived areas. VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS Domestic violence remained rife. In September, the government announced a range of measures to address violence against women. These included amendments to the criminal code to classify femicide as a separate criminal offence and impose longer sentences for rape, among other measures aiming to strengthen victims’ rights. Women’s groups welcomed the measures and urged the government to adopt a comprehensive national plan to prevent and combat all forms of violence against women in line with the Council of Europe’s Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention). 141