Protecting the Rights of Vulnerable Persons in Challenging Times: Legal Standards and Current Realities

At a time when the consequences of climate change adversely affect numerous individuals, diverse communities, and life as a whole, the issue of heritage protection remains neglected at the margins of political and scientific discourse. In order to shift such an approach, researcher Petra Perišić, together with her co‑author Karolina Nedić, examined the ways in which international legal instruments seek to address issues related to the impact of climate change on cultural heritage. In their effort to articulate a clear interpretative approach to the relevant international documents, the authors conclude that the World Heritage Convention has to be interpreted in conjunction with other relevant documents, including those constituting the international framework to combat climate change. While this approach does not modify state parties’ legal obligations, it supports the adoption of site‑specific measures aimed at safeguarding heritage from climate‑induced harm.

Petra Perišić, Karolina Nedić, “Cultural Heritage Protection in the Age of Climate Change: Assessing Adequacy and Interpretative Limits of the World Heritage Convention”, Pécs Journal of International and European Law, no. 1, 2026., pp. 5-27.

The circumstances under which a student’s disciplinary liability may escalate into criminal liability, as well as the sanctions that may be imposed for unacceptable or delinquent behaviour among young people, were central issues discussed with the staff of Srdoči Elementary School during the training session for teaching and professional staff held on 25 June 2026. As part of the new cycle of training organised under the ‘Law in the Community’ programme, in cooperation with the Community Service Centre Tić Rijeka, the phenomenon of unacceptable student behaviour in the sphere of sexuality and the role of educational professionals in its prevention and suppression were examined in detail in an interdisciplinary setting.

Prof. Dr. Sc. Marissabell Škorić and Prof. Dr. Sc. Sandra Fabijanić Gagro have published the article “Femicide in Focus: From Global Recommendations to Regional Solutions, with Special Emphasis on the Challenges in Implementing the Belém do Pará Convention” in the newly released issue of the Collected Papers of the Faculty of Law in Split. In their contribution, members of our project team explain why the international Belém do Pará Convention has become the foundational normative instrument for shaping national policy responses across Latin American states, and what lessons may be drawn from those jurisdictions. Their research demonstrates that femicide is both a legal and a political issue, and that effective responses to this pervasive social phenomenon must be developed through legislative reform, education, institutional cooperation, and sustained international support.

Marissabell Škorić, Sandra Fabijanić Gagro, „Femicide in Focus: From Global Recommendations to Regional Solutions, with Special Emphasis on the Challenges in Implementing the Belém Do Pará Convention“, Zbornik radova Pravnog fakulteta u Splitu, vol. 63, no. 1, 2026., pp. 105-128

Surrogate motherhood is a subject that exceeds the conventional boundaries of any single discipline and, owing to its inherent complexity, requires the engagement of experts from multiple fields. To elucidate the various dimensions of surrogacy through open interdisciplinary dialogue, the Spring Symposium on Medical Ethics, “Ethical Aspects of Surrogate Motherhood”, was held on 15 June 2026 at the Faculty of Medicine in Rijeka. Prof. Dr Marissabell Škorić delivered a lecture entitled “The Legal Framework of Surrogate Motherhood in the Republic of Croatia”, providing participants with an overview of the legal understanding of surrogacy within the Croatian legal order, as well as relevant comparative approaches. In her presentation, she offered a detailed analysis of the different forms of vulnerability associated with this medical practice and thereby opened a new research avenue within the ZaRIV#vulnerability project.

The Faculty of Law in Osijek hosted the tenth anniversary ECLIC International Scientific Conference, “EU as a Global Player: Geopolitical Position of the EU in the New Global Order”, on 11–12 June 2026. The event brought together leading scholars and practitioners to discuss the European Union’s evolving role within the shifting global geopolitical landscape. Researchers Prof. Sandra Fabijanić Gagro, PhD, Prof. Marissabell Škorić, PhD, and Prof. Dalida Rittossa, PhD, presented their paper, “Ending Child Sexual Abuse – International Standards, the Croatian Criminal Law Framework and Preventive Strategies”. Their contribution represents another significant achievement within the ongoing research project and highlights the importance of a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to child protection.

Prof. Dr. Sandra Fabijanić Gagro has published an article entitled “Cultural Heritage – Between Recognition and Denial” in the latest issue of the journal Prawo i Więź / Law and Social Bonds. In examining the very notion of cultural genocide, our project team member begins with the theses advanced by Raphael Lemkin and explains why this concept was ultimately not incorporated into the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. In a dedicated section of the article, Prof. Dr. Fabijanić Gagro further elucidates why debates on cultural genocide continue to persist within academic and professional circles, and what their legal significance is.

Sandra Fabijanić Gagro, „Cultural Heritage – Between Recognition and Denial“, Prawo I Więź/Law and Social Bonds, vol. 61, no. 2, 2026., pp. 273-308.: Link

Given that the principal objective of the ZaRIV#vulnerability project is to enhance the protection of the rights of vulnerable citizens and to achieve concrete, community‑level improvements, its educational and dissemination activities constitute a core component of its implementation. With the signing of cooperation agreements in January 2026, the research team secured two key partners in advancing the rights of vulnerable groups: the Association of Youth and Family Judges and Specialists, and the Community Service Centre Tić Rijeka.

Prof. Emeritus Petar Novoselc, Ph.D., is regarded as one of the leading figures in contemporary criminal‑law theory, and in honour of his scholarly and professional contributions, a scientific symposium entitled “In memoriam Prof. Emer. Petar Novoselc, Ph.D.: Criminal Justice Between Independence and Responsibility – Real Challenges in Light of the Recommendations of the Rule of Law Report” was held in Zagreb on 16 December 2025. At this event, and with the intention of stimulating further academic debate on the concept of juvenile culpability, Assoc. Prof. Dalida Rittossa, Ph.D., delivered a presentation entitled “The Mistake of Law Through the Lens of Doctrinal Principles on the Culpability of Juvenile Offenders”. Her contribution offered a critical examination of doctrinal misconceptions surrounding the mistake of law and underscored the need for continued theoretical and empirical engagement with the criminal‑law treatment of juvenile offenders.

The regime governing the enforcement of pre‑trial detention for juveniles is one of the central issues concerning the procedural status of minors and remains an area in which no unified professional consensus has been reached. To clarify statutory provisions and practical approaches, and to identify measures needed to improve current practice, the Association of Youth and Family Judges and Specialists organised a professional symposium titled “Pre‑trial Detention or a Temporary Measure” on 4 November 2025. The event was moderated by Assoc. Prof. Dalida Rittossa, Ph.D.