engleski

Children between war and transition - the case of Croatia

The social situation in Croatia was marked by two key elements: the war and transition. Both processes have contributed to economic stagnation and high unemployment rate, especially among young people. Poverty in Croatia in absolute terms is low, and some indicators of child poverty show one of the lowest absolute poverty rate among transition countries. However, subjective poverty is relatively high. For the non-poor in objective terms, basic needs include also one's aesthetic, social, educational needs, as well as the needs for self-actualisation. In the experience of youth, especially rural youth, poverty means boredom and no goals in life. Research generally shows that social position of young people at the end of 90's changed considerably when compared to the mid 80's. Problems associated with the transition from the world of education to the world of work have become especially acute. Youth problems, such as generational conflicts and similar conflicts typical of the specific situation of youth lag far behind economic issues. Predominant image from the studies with young people in the 1990's was of a rather passive generation who felt best in a safe private environment and family circle. The process of social deconstruction of youth which is going on in modern societies eliminates socially determined and safeguarded transitions from childhood to adulthood. The process is especially painful for young people in transition countries. In Croatia, the social vulnerability of young people has been additionally increased by the war which, apart from its' economic effects, has caused long-lasting traumatic effects. The war contributed to a polarisation between two main zones of the country. War-affected zone is a classic 'zone of exclusion' in which high levels of need co-exist with few material resources and low level of human and social capital. The second zone is more dynamic with different lifestyles and various sectors of activity. Yet in both zones there are wide intra-regional differences between the poor and the non-poor. Young people in war-affected areas had more difficult experiences and life conditions during war and post-war years. This is illustrated by data from survey on quality of life of young people in the areas that were occupied during the war as well as by Croatian ethnologists' and folklorists' writing on the war in the country in the 1990s.

young people; poverty; war affected areas

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