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Human Rights Council – Universal Periodic Review

For use of information media; not an official record

Date: Tuesday 16 February (afternoon)

Country under review: SLOVENIA

Concerned country - national report

  • Represented by a 22-person delegation and headed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, H.E. Mr. Samuel Žbogar
  • National report presented by H.E. Samuel Žbogar

Highlights

  • Draft New Family Code includes the prohibition of corporal punishment of children and equal recognition of same-sex and heterosexual partnerships.
  • Awareness-raising campaign to combat all forms of discrimination.
  • Five-year campaign against domestic violence.
  • Comprehensive governmental integration policy for immigrants.
  • About to adopt complementary measures to promote the integration of the Roma community.
  • About to adopt the Act on Equal Opportunities for People with Disabilities.
  • Measures to grant permanent residency to citizens of the former Yugoslavia.
  • In the process of ratifying the Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the Convention for the Protection of all Persons from Enforced Disappearances.
  • One third of the Constitution provisions related to human rights issues.
  • Independent Human Rights Ombudsman.
  • Extended open invitation to all Special Procedures bodies.

Interactive discussion

Number of States taking part in the interactive discussion

  • Member States: 24
  • Observer States: 31

Positive achievements

  • New Penal Code defining domestic violence as a specific criminal offence and Domestic Violence Prevention Act.
  • Efforts to promote and protect the rights of the child.
  • Measures to enhance the rights of minorities.
  • Measures to improve the status of women.
  • Ratified the Convention against Torture.
  • Ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and its Optional Protocol.

Issues and questions raised

  • ‘Erased’ persons, i.e. persons that lost their legal citizenship status following the dissolution of Yugoslavia.
  • Sex and labour trafficking of human beings.
  • Domestic violence against women and children.
  • Discrimination of minorities, in particular the Roma.
  • Court backlogs.
  • Women involvement in decision-making and high-level public positions.
  • Public manifestations of intolerance and hate speech by politicians.

Recommendations

  • Investigate and prosecute those responsible for human trafficking offenses and raise awareness amongst potential victims and judges.
  • Develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent and eliminate all forms of violence against women and children.
  • Speed up the process of recognition of the ‘erased’ persons.
  • Continue to improve the living condition of the Roma population.
  • Take measures to end discrimination against women.
  • Sign and ratify the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of all Migrant Workers and Members of their Families.

Response of the concerned country

  • ‘Erased’ persons – New Act, if adopted by the Parliament, to restore permanent residence permit for people from the former Yugoslavia whose names were removed from the population registers in 1992, if they apply within three years after the adoption of the Act.
  • Discrimination of Roma – Programmes to improve healthcare and education; Measures to promote and protect the Roma language.
  • Human trafficking – Special action plan adopted to raise awareness. Government portal set up as key information provider. Assistance programmes for victims.
  • Court backlogs – Special programme to deal with this problem proved successful. Problem should be solved by the end of 2010.
  • Sexual violence against women – Number of reported cases increasing as a result of awareness-raising and detection efforts, as it is often a hidden offence.

Adoption of the report by the UPR working group scheduled on
Friday 19 February, 15:30 – 16:00

More information