Country profile HRV
National Legal Framework
National Legal Framework
| Provision | Legislation date | Convention | Legislation info | sources | Value | sort_order | Provision description | Legislation description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light work - Determination of types and conditions of activities | 2023-01-01 and 2019-03-22 | C138 | Croatian Labour Act and Ordinance on the Performance of Activities Related to Employment | [{"link_name":"Croatian Labour Code","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/106487/HRV106487%20Croat.pdf"},{"link_name":"Ordinance on the Performance of Activities Related to Employment","source_link":"https://narodne-novine.nn.hr/clanci/sluzbeni/2019_03_28_591.html"}] | Yes | 3 | If the country chooses to allow light work, States must determine what activities are considered light work, and the hours and the circumstances under which they may be carried out. | Article 68a of the Croatian Labour Act establishes specific conditions for light work. Children aged 14 who no longer attend compulsory primary education may perform work for up to seven hours a day and 35 hours a week when there are no classes. This limit is increased to eight hours per day and 40 hours per week for minors (aged 15 or older but under 18), regardless of whether they perform work for one or more employers. For its part, Article 19a of the Text stipulates that a child or minor who is attending compulsory primary education may, only with prior approval from the authority responsible for social welfare, participate for remuneration in activities such as filming, advertising, preparation and performance of artistic, stage or similar cultural works, and sports competitions, provided that such participation is carried out in a manner and to an extent that does not endanger their health, safety, morals, education, or development. In addition, Articles 4, 10 and 15 of the Ordinance on the Performance of Activities Related to Employment further develop on the circumstances under which minors who are regular students may engage in employment-related activities. |
| Minimum age for admission to work | 2023-01-01; 2011-11-21 | C138 | Croatian Labour Act - Article 19 ; Criminal Code - Article 177 | [{"link_name":"-Croatian Labour Act","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/99294/HRV-99294%20(CONSOLID).pdf"},{"link_name":"-Criminal Code","source_link":"https://natlex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/111330/HRV111330%20Eng.pdf"}] | 15 | 1 | C138 establishes 15 as the minimum age for work in general. Developing countries have the option of setting a minimum age of 14 as a transitional measure as they strengthen their education systems and economies. | According to the Croatian Labour Act - Article 19: Employment of persons below the age of 15 is prohibited. Additionally, individuals aged 15 or above but still attending compulsory primary education are also prohibited from employment. In addition, Article 177, paragraph 2 of the Criminal Code defines the criminal offence called “Violation of the Rights of the Child.” It prohibits the abuse of a child, forcing a child to work excessively or to perform work that is inappropriate for their age, involving them in begging, or encouraging them to engage in behaviour that is harmful to their development. More broadly, it criminalizes any other form of serious violation of a child’s rights. |
| Is the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities, in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs, prohibited? | 2011-11-21 | C182 | Criminal Code - Article 106, Article 190 | [{"link_name":"Criminal Code","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/99294/HRV-99294%20(CONSOLID).pdf"}] | Yes | 11 | C182 prohibits the use, procuring or offering of children for illicit activities in particular for the production and trafficking of drugs. | Article 106 "Trafficking in Human Beings" of the Criminal Code strictly prohibits the use, procuring, or offering of children for illicit activities. Furthermore, Article 190 of the Criminal Code incriminates using children for unauthorised production and trafficking in drugs. |
| Is the use, procuring or offering of a child for the purpose of prostitution and for production of pornography prohibited? | 2011-11-21 | C182 | Criminal Code - Articles 162-164 | [{"link_name":"Criminal Code","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/99294/HRV-99294%20(CONSOLID).pdf"}] | Yes | 10 | C182 prohibits the use of a child under the age of 18 for prostitution, regardless of the child's consent. The use, procuring or offering of any person under the age of 18 for commercial sexual exploitation constitutes a worst form of child labour, even if prostitution is a legalised. In regard to the prohibition of child pornography, States need to make sure that national legislation addresses the involvement of a child in the production of pornographic materials, including non-recorded performances. | Articles 162-164 of the Criminal Code incriminate the use, procuring or offering of a child for the purpose of for prostitution, for the production of pornography or for pornographic performances. |
| Is forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18 for use in armed conflict prohibited? | 2011-11-21 | C182 | Criminal Code - Article 95, Article 106 | [{"link_name":"Criminal Code","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/111330/HRV111330%20Eng.pdf"}] | Yes | 9 | C182 defines forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18 for use in armed conflict as a worst form of child labour. Nevertheless, C182 only prohibits the forced or compulsory recruitment of children under 18, and does not cover the voluntary recruitment of children under 18. | Article 95 (Recruitment of Mercenaries) of the Croatian Criminal Code strictly prohibits recruitment of children into armed forces or armed groups: "Whoever conscripts or enlists a child into the armed forces or armed groups distinct from the armed forces or uses a thus recruited child to participate in direct hostilities shall be punished by imprisonment from one to ten years”. Article 106 of the same Criminal Code incriminates trafficking in children for the purpose of using the child in armed conflicts. |
| Is the sale and trafficking of children for sexual and labour exploitation prohibited? | 2011-11-21 | C182 | Criminal Code - Article 105, Article 106 | [{"link_name":"Criminal Code","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/111330/HRV111330%20Eng.pdf"}] | Yes | 8 | C182 defines all forms of slavery or practices similar to slavery, such as the sale and trafficking of children, debt bondage and serfdom and forced or compulsory labour as worst forms of child labour. | Article 106 of the Criminal Code incriminates trafficking in children for purpose of exploiting his or her labour by means of forced labour or services, slavery or a relationship similar thereto, or for the purpose of exploitation for prostitution of the child or of other forms of sexual exploitation, including pornography, or of contracting an illicit or forced marriage, or of illegal adoption, or of taking parts of a child's body, or of using the child in armed conflicts. Article 105 of the Criminal Code incriminates putting a child in a position of slavery or a similar position or holding him or her in such a position, buying, selling, handing over a child to another or mediation in the purchase and inciting a child to sell his or her freedom. |
| Minimum age for hazardous work | 2023-01-01 and 2023-12-31 | C138 & C182 | Croatian Labour Act - Article 21 ; Family Act - Article 117. (3) | [{"link_name":"-Croatian Labour Code","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/99294/HRV-99294%20(CONSOLID).pdf"},{"link_name":"-Family Act","source_link":"https://www.zakon.hr/z/88/obiteljski-zakon"}] | 18 | 6 | C138 and C182 set 18 as the minimum age for hazardous work, which is defined as work that, due to its nature or the circumstances in which it is carried out, is likely to jeopardize children’s health, safety or morals. C138 and C182 allow countries to permit hazardous work exceptionally as from 16, provided that the health, safety and morals of the young persons concerned are fully protected and that they have received adequate specific instruction or training. | Article 21 of the Croatian Labour Act prohibits employment of minors in jobs that may endanger their safety, health, morals, or development, and requires a prior medical assessment for minors before employment. In addition, it should be noted that, according to Article 117. (3) of the Family Act, an adult is a person aged above 18 years old. In consequence, the minimum age for admission to hazardous work is set to 18 years. |
| List of hazardous activities prohibited for children | 2015-08-14 | C138 & C182 | Regulation on Jobs Prohibited for Minors | [{"link_name":"Regulation on Jobs Prohibited for Minors","source_link":"https://www.zakon.hr/c/podzakonski-propis/3117/nn-62-10-od-21.05.2010.-pravilnik-o-poslovima-na-kojima-se-ne-smije-zaposliti-maloljetnik"}] | Yes | 7 | C138 and C182 require the national determination of a list of hazardous work prohibited for children under 18 years of age. The competent authorities should consult with workers' and employers' organizations to determine what types of employment or work are considered to be hazardous. Such a list shall be periodically examined and revised as necessary. | The Regulation on Jobs Prohibited for Minors in Croatia prohibits minors from engaging in hazardous work environments to protect their health, safety, and development. It outlines specific restrictions against exposure to harmful physical, chemical, and biological agents, dangerous machinery, and extreme conditions. Additionally, it mandates regular health check-ups, supervised vocational training, and strict compliance from employers to ensure that minors' work does not interfere with their education or well-being. |
| Minimum age for admission to apprenticeship | 2023-01-01 | C138 | Croatian Labour Act - Article 68a | [{"link_name":"Croatian Labour Act","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/99294/HRV-99294%20(CONSOLID).pdf"}] | 14 | 5 | C138 does not apply to work done in school for general, vocational or technical education or in training institutions or work done by children at least 14 years of age in undertakings, where such work is carried out in accordance with conditions prescribed by the competent authority. Such work must be an integral part of: (i) a course of education or training for which a school or training institution is primarily responsible; (ii) a programme of training mainly or entirely in an undertaking, which programme has been approved by the competent authority; or (iii) a programme of guidance or orientation designed to facilitate the choice of an occupation or of a line of training. | Article 68a of the Croatian Labour Act explicitly allows children who have reached the age of 14 and no longer attend compulsory primary education to perform work within the framework of work-based learning, setting a clear minimum age for light work and vocational training activities. |
| Is the minimum age for admission to work not less than the age for completion of compulsory schooling? | 2023-01-01 | C138 | Croatian Labour Act - Article 19 | [{"link_name":"Croatian Labour Act","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/99294/HRV-99294%20(CONSOLID).pdf"}] | Yes | 4 | C138 requires that the minimum age for admission to work shall not be less than the age of completion of compulsory schooling and, in any case, shall not be less than 15 years. | According to Article 19 of the Croatian Labour Act, employment of persons below the age of 15 is prohibited. Additionally, individuals aged 15 or above but still attending compulsory primary education are also prohibited from employment. |
| Minimum age for light work | 2023-01-01 | C138 | Croatian Labour Act - Article 68a | [{"link_name":"Croatian Labour Act","source_link":"https://wwwex.ilo.org/dyn/natlex2/natlex2/files/download/99294/HRV-99294%20(CONSOLID).pdf"}] | 14 | 2 | C138 defines light work as work that does not interfere with children’s schooling, or their ability to benefit from it, and that is not hazardous. C138 allows countries to permit light work for children younger than the general minimum age. For countries that set the minimum age at 15, this means children aged 13-14, and for those that set it at 14, children aged 12-13 may engage in light work. | Article 68a of the Croatian Labour Act specifies that children aged 14 who no longer attend compulsory primary education may perform work under specific conditions. |
International Legal Framework
International Legal Framework
| Ratification status | Convention | Convention description | Date of ratification | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| in-force | C182 | Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention, 1999 (No. 182) | 17-JUL-2001 | Source |
| in-force | C138 | Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) | 08-OCT-1991 | Source |
Policies and Plans
Policies and Plans
| Description | sources | Period | Policy name | Implementing agency |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The plan was developed with an action plan for 2024-2026, focusing on prevention and identification, and it introduces measures to address the evolving trends of trafficking. A strategic document that includes measures and activities for the prevention of all forms of human trafficking, including particularly vulnerable groups, among whom are children. | [{"link_name":"Croatia's National Plan for Combating Human Trafficking","source_link":"https://pravamanjina.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/Nacionalni%20plan%20suzbijanja%20trgovanja%20ljudima%20do%202030.pdf"}] | 2024-2030 | Croatia's National Plan for Combating Human Trafficking | Office for Human Rights and National Minority Rights |
| The National Plan for Children’s Rights 2022–2026 aims to strengthen and implement policies to improve children’s rights in Croatia. It integrates related public policies across sectors, setting key goals and mechanisms aligned with international and national standards. The plan supports a comprehensive approach to children’s rights and aligns with Croatia’s National Development Strategy until 2030, particularly focusing on sustainable development, effective governance, crisis resilience, and promoting a healthy, active, and quality life for children. | [{"link_name":"National Plan for the Rights of Children in the Republic of Croatia","source_link":"https://mrosp.gov.hr/UserDocsImages/dokumenti/Socijalna%20politika/Dokumenti/Nacionalni%20plan%20za%20prava%20djece%20u%20Republici%20Hrvatskoj%20za%20razdoblje%20od%202022.%20do%202026.%20godine.pdf"}] | 2022-2026 | National Plan for the Rights of Children in the Republic of Croatia | Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy |