Case Description
This case concerns a female worker in a well-known Slavonian winery in Croatia who was subjected to repeated sexual harassment and workplace abuse by two male superiors. According to the media report, the case was judged by the Municipal Court in Vukovar, which issued a non-final judgment against two former winery managers, anonymised as Z. F. and J. Š. The case is directly linked to the wine sector and took place in Croatia.
The abuse reportedly occurred over several months, mainly in 2017, with some incidents described as taking place in 2016–2017. One superior, Z. F., was found guilty of sexual harassment and workplace abuse. The court found that he repeatedly pulled the worker’s hair, grabbed her buttocks, made explicit vulgar sexual comments, and followed her when she went to the toilet. The second superior, J. Š., was convicted of lewd acts after inappropriate touching during a car ride home from work.
The case illustrates a clear workplace hierarchy: both men were superiors, while the victim was a subordinate worker. The court concluded that the accused abused their position and exploited the worker’s dependency. The victim reportedly endured the behaviour due to fear and financial dependence; after she did not receive support inside the company, she sought medical help and filed a criminal complaint.
Experts confirmed that the victim later developed acute stress reaction, anxiety-depressive disorder and a severe depressive episode, and she was hospitalised in Vukovar. The court issued conditional prison sentences: eight months with a two-year probation period for Z. F., and five months with a one-year probation period for J. Š.
Inclusion Criteria (Why this is a GBV case)
This case is eligible under the GoC protocol because the protocol allows the Observatory to rely on publicly available secondary data such as websites and magazines, rather than primary data, due to privacy concerns. It also fits the protocol’s GBV categories, including physical violence and harassment, verbal harassment, psychological violence, and workplace-related abuse patterns.
Main reasons for inclusion:
- Direct link to the wine sector: the case took place in a winery.
- Clear gender-based and sexual nature of the conduct.
- Workplace hierarchy and power imbalance: superiors versus subordinate worker.
- Confirmed institutional/legal dimension: court judgment, although non-final.
- Relevant for abuse-pattern analysis: repeated behaviour, fear, financial dependence, lack of company support, and delayed reporting.
Analysis Framework
Qa.1 Victim / Situation
Female subordinate worker in a Croatian winery; economically dependent on the workplace and exposed to repeated abuse by male superiors.
Qa.2 Process of Violence
The violence developed as repeated workplace harassment involving verbal sexual comments, unwanted touching, intimidation, humiliation, and abuse of managerial authority.
Qa.3 Output / End
The victim experienced serious psychological consequences, sought medical assistance, and filed a criminal complaint. The court subsequently issued a non-final conviction.
Qb. Main Stakeholders Involved
- Victim: female winery worker.
- Perpetrators: two male superiors and former managers.
- Company/workplace: well-known winery, unnamed in the public source.
- Judiciary: Municipal Court in Vukovar.
- Medical experts and hospital: involved in confirming psychological harm.
- Media: Jutarnji list as the public source.
Data Limitations
This case should be interpreted with caution due to several methodological limitations:
- Information is based on a single media source.
- No primary data (such as victim testimony or court documents) were available for review.
- No confirmed final legal outcome is publicly available.
- The precise context of some incidents, including the boundaries between workplace and non-workplace interactions, remains unclear.
According to the Case Identification Protocol, the case remains eligible for inclusion in the Observatory. However, it should be classified as a low-detail case based solely on secondary-source evidence.
Sources
Jutarnji list – Osuda za zlostavljanje u slavonskoj vinariji (Municipal Court in Vukovar case)