Croatian police accused of sexual assault against female asylum seeker

An Afghan woman says she was repeatedly subjected to sexual abuse, held at a knife-point by Croatian police officers and forced to strip naked during a search near the border on February 15, 2021. The testimony appeared in a report by the Danish Refugee Council, which details the consistent history of abuse by Croatian authorities. According to the report, violence against refugees is escalating, as other asylum seekers have been beaten and sexual assault against men and women soars. The report states that of the 547 people whose testimonies were recorded, 35% experienced abusive and degrading treatment and 32% reported physical abuse and assault. The pushbacks against migrants are commonplace, however they violate the EU asylum, migration and Schengen acquis. These findings highlight the need for systematic investigations of crimes against asylum seekers and the urgent need for independent border monitoring mechanisms to prevent violence at the EU’s external borders.

Sources: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/4/7/croatian-police-accused-of-sexually-abusing-female-asylum-seeker (same as the picture)