PARALLEL SUBMISSION BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE AND CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNING SLOVAKIA (Under Article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)
PARALLEL SUBMISSION BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE AND CENTER FOR CIVIL AND HUMAN RIGHTS CONCERNING SLOVAKIA (Under Article 18 of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women)

Author(s): Author Not Specified
Subject(s): Gender Studies, Education, Law, Constitution, Jurisprudence, International Law, Human Rights and Humanitarian Law, Social differentiation, Studies in violence and power, Health and medicine and law, Ethnic Minorities Studies
Published by: European Roma Rights Center
Keywords: Slovakia; human rights; Roma; judiciary; justice; discrimination; Romani women; sterilisation; health care; maternity; education; segregation;
Summary/Abstract: The Center for Civil and Human Rights (Poradňa pre občianske a ľudské práva, hereinafter also referred to as „Poradňa“) and the European Roma Rights Centre (hereinafter also referred to as “ERRC”) hereby jointly submit this report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) commenting on the Combined Fifth and Six Periodic Report of Slovakia, submitted under Article 18 of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (Convention). The present shadow report focuses on the issues disproportionately impacting Romani women: insufficient access of Romani women to justice in cases of their multiple discrimination, discrimination in education, health care and missing compensation and safeguard provisions for involuntary sterilisation of Romani women. The report describes the current situation regarding one of the most serious human rights abuses of women – the practice of coercive sterilisation of Romani women – and the legal, policy and other obstacles in reaching an effective remedy for the victims. The submission focuses only on issues directly related to the practice of coercive sterilisation; i.e. Articles 10 (equal access to education), 12 (equal access to health care services) and 16 (freedom from discrimination in all matters relating to marriage and family relations) of the Convention. This report aims to provide an update on the situation since 2008 when CEDAW last reviewed Slovakia. It includes an update on the legislative changes, compensation mechanism proposals, updates on court cases, comments on the information provided by the Slovak government and recommendations for government action. In its 2008 Concluding observations (CEDAW/C/SVK/CO/4), the Committee recommended Slovak government to developed specific measures to tackle discrimination against Romani women (discrimination of Romani women: paras 36 and 37, coercive sterilisation: paras 43 and 44). Submitting organizations are concerned that Slovakia has done little to address the Committee’s concerns and recommendations for the situation of Romani women and that progress in complying with the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women is slow and insufficient.

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