WOMEN'S ANTI-DISCRIMINATION COMMITTEE HEARS QUERIES ON SITUATION OF ROMANY WOMEN, AS IT CONSIDERS INITIAL REPORT OF SLOVAKIA

386th Meeting (PM)
WOM/1056
23 June 1998




There were persistent allegations that Romany women in Slovakia were
being forced to submit to sterilization, the Committee on the Elimination
of Discrimination against Women was told this afternoon, as it continued
considering that country's compliance with the Convention on Elimination of
All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

According to those reports, an expert of the 23-member body continued,
coercion methods included threats to remove children from their families.
Sometimes the women were offered money to undergo such an operation. It
was ironic that Slovak women of other ethnic groups, who wanted to be
sterilized, were often refused the operation, she said.

During the discussion this afternoon, which followed the introduction of
Slovakia's initial report this morning, several experts expressed concern
about the health of Romany children. According to a United Nations
Children's Fund (UNICEF) study, 50 per cent of those children were
malnourished, with related impacts on health and mental development. Lack
of action by the Government would constitute a serious human rights
violation.

Also this afternoon, an expert expressed surprise over governmental
statistics implying that prostitution in Slovakia was virtually non-
existent when overall, trafficking in women was increasing in eastern
Europe. She stressed the need for more objective statistical
representation that would highlight incidents of prostitution, trafficking,
and the extent of criminal syndicate activity.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow to begin its
consideration of South Africa's initial report on implementing the
Convention.

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women met this
afternoon to continue its consideration of Slovakia's initial report on
efforts to implement the Convention. The Committee's 23 members -- experts
serving in their individual capacities -- monitor implementation of the
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.

(For details on Slovakia's report and presentation, see Press Release
WOM/1055 of 23 June.)

Turning to article 5 on the social and cultural patterns that lead to
discrimination and to stereotyped roles for men and women, participants
said that the information given by the report on the work being done to
transform traditional discriminatory values needed to be expanded. Was
work being done by the mass media, in schools and in other social
institutions to change deeply rooted prejudices?

Participants noted that one of the fundamental principles of legislation
on the family stated that motherhood was considered to be the most
dignified expression of the status of women. Had any work been done to change
traditional ideas on fatherhood and to address issues such as paternal
responsibilities and male roles in the care and education of children? It
was important to determine what measures were being adopted by the Slovak
Government in that respect.

Addressing article 6 on the suppression of the traffic in and the
exploitation of prostitution of women, participants noted that although the
article was the shortest in the Convention, the Committee thought it was
one of the major provisions due to its phenomenal historic record. New
information technology had made it much easier to trade in women and
children.

The Slovak report highlighted a legal regime that clearly penalized
procurement and pimping. It also mentioned the nuances in Slovakia's penal
code which provided varying degrees of punishment for organized
prostitution, trafficking and pimping. Yet, surprisingly, statistical
pictures suggested that either prostitution in Slovakia was non-existent or
that laws were not effectively enforced. In the meanwhile, figures showed
that trafficking in women was on the increase in eastern Europe. A more
objective statistical representation, therefore, needed to be provided for
a more realistic picture. Statistics should highlight incidents of
prostitution, trafficking, and the extent of criminal syndicate activity.
Future reports should inform the Committee of efforts by the Slovak
Government to cooperate with the European Union which has condemned
trafficking.

On the issue of Slovakian domestic violence, participants wanted to know
how effective the present penal code was in addressing the issue. Cases
were presently being punished by mere fines and many women were reluctant
to report abuses. Also Slovakia had no shelters for battered women.

An expert said there seemed to be an almost complete lack of attention to
article 7 of the Convention, on eliminating discrimination against women in
public and political life. She stressed the importance of participation in
political life and in decision-making processes in a country like Slovakia,
which had moved from a uniparty system towards consolidating democracy,
which meant participation. How could democracy be consolidated if so few
of the country's human resources participated in decision-making? she
asked. The report did not address efforts made by Government or political
parties to correct that deficit.

She also asked for details on the organizational structure of political
parties and the electoral system. Had parties introduced temporary special
measures, such as quotas, and what had been women's response to such
efforts? she asked. She then asked about the efforts of women in
Government to increase women's overall political participation and increase
awareness of the Convention. Legislation was generally a first step
towards eliminating obstacles for women, and female parliamentarians were
often involved in the formulation of such laws, she noted. An expert asked
about the effect of female judges and prosecutors on everyday life of women
in Slovakia, and for information on the declining number of women lawyers
over the past decade.

Turning then to article 10, on eliminating discrimination in the field of
education, several experts asked for further information on the
Government's intention to establish 65 specialized schools for girls, that
would prepare their students for three fields. What were those three
specialized fields? Were boys taught the same subjects at different
schools? Noting that boys and girls tended to pursue technical and
humanitarian studies, respectively, experts asked about measures to correct
that imbalance, and asked whether different vocational guidance was given
to girls and to boys, and, if so, to what kinds of careers were girls being
directed.

Regarding university education, an expert asked whether women's studies
courses would be introduced, as these had become a fairly standard method
of increasing awareness. In addition to asking for statistical information
on women studying at the university level, inquiries were made regarding
career counselling for women, and whether there were scholarships to
encourage women to pursue non-traditional careers.

More detailed information was needed on article 11, relating to
discrimination in employment, several experts said. There was need to
distinguish the difference between attitudes and reality. They asked what
efforts had been made to reduce inflation and unemployment rates, noting
that unemployment rates were higher for women than for men, despite the
high rate of female education. One expert noted that the unemployment rate
was even higher for the Romany ethnic group, and asked whether that issue -
- in particular, the plight of Romany women -- was being practically
addressed. Other questions pertained to means to reduce the gap between
wages for men and those for women, some 22.4 per cent difference.

Regarding labour provisions for pregnant women and new mothers, an expert
noted that such women could be transferred to other work, and, if there was
a difference in pay, the women were paid at the original rate. Who paid
that difference? she asked. If the cost was absorbed by the social
security system, the plan might work, but if the employer was paying the
difference, the overall effect might be negative for women. She asked why
other types of work were needed in the months following pregnancy. Also,
she wondered what efforts were being made to address the fact that women
returning from maternity leave often confronted difficulties in obtaining
promotions.

A number of questions were posed on the different ages at which women
and men received pensions. Men were eligible to receive pensions in their
sixties, while women became eligible at between 53 and 57 years, depending
on the number of children raised. Experts asked for clarification on that
last provision, whether there had been any movement towards equalizing
pension rights, and whether a study had been done to compare the overall
impact of the different ages of retirement.

Concerning employment of women, one expert noted the lack of statistical
data on employment by gender. Another noted that 80 per cent of
professionals in the health and education fields were women, and that those "feminine
sectors" were underpaid. She asked the Government's view on the matter.
Regarding the report's statement that women were entitled to greater
protection in terms of employment, she asked what kinds of protection were involved.

An expert expressed interest in how women had fared in the transition
from central to market economy. She asked whether any study had been
conducted on the impact of the transition, looking, in particular, at the
impact of privatization on women and their families, and to what extend
poverty had been feminized as a result of the transition.

Also regarding the workplace, an expert asked whether there were
mechanisms for complaints of discrimination and sexual harassment at work.
Throughout the report, women's role in child rearing had been emphasized,
she noted. To what extent did the State assist women in that regard? she asked.
What social safety nets were available for women head of households? She also asked
for data on women's participation in trade unions, noting that more and more persons
were working part time and were thus not in a strong bargaining position

regarding equal wages and treatment. An expert noted that too much
emphasis had been placed on motherhood and hardly any mention of the
parental role of men.

Turning to article 12, on the elimination of discrimination against
women in the field of health, one of the experts noted that the report had
only four paragraphs under that very important article. Since the years
19911992, it was clear that the Slovak Government had been implementing a
policy of privatization. How had that policy affected the social sector,
especially the health sector? she asked -- in particular women's
reproductive health?

She said a United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) study had noted that
the health of children was suffering because of malnourishment in Slovakia.
The UNICEF study noted that up to 50 per cent of children born to Romany
women were malnourished. That factor had an impact on the health, in
particular, on the mental development of the children. Was the Slovak
Government aware of the UNICEF study? she asked. What was it doing to
address that very important issue. If the problem were not addressed, the
Romany ethnic group would be further marginalized and underrepresented -- a
problem that would be exacerbated if there were mental impairment because
of malnutrition. If the Government was doing nothing about the problem,
that would constitute a serious violation of human rights.

A related topic was tuberculosis, the expert added. The disease was
killing 2 million to 3 million people worldwide, and people suffering from
malnourishment were particularly vulnerable. Women constituted another
vulnerable group. What was being done about this disease in Slovakia?

There were also persistent reports about the forced sterilization of
Romany women, said the expert. Various means were being used to force women
to submit to sterilization, including threats to take away their existing
children. Sometimes they were also offered money to undergo such an
operation. The irony of the situation was that other women, who were not of
Romany origin, who might want to be sterilized, were often refused the
operation. Were there any comments on that situation?

She also asked what was being done about health education in Slovakia,
and she asked for more information about abortion in the country. She was
concerned about the placement in the report of information about abortion
and contraception together in the same paragraph. Those two issues should
not be confused. Abortion should never be a contraceptive method, and
repeated abortions could have a detrimental effect on the health of women.
She asked for more information on abortion, in general, in Slovakia and, in
particular, for information on the number of women who died as a result of
abortions. Was there any restriction on the number of abortions a woman
could have within a year?

What was the prevalence of breast cancer in the country, and were there
any programmes of early detection? she asked.

Another expert asked about the infant mortality rate among the Romany
population. She also wanted to know about the incidence of AIDS among the
Romany, and whether they had higher abortion rates than the rest of the
population.

Also, the expert added, according to the Slovak Constitution, each needy
citizen was entitled to assistance. How much were recipients entitled to?
How many people were receiving such help, and what was the proportion of
Romany recipients? The Romany population could certainly be described as
in need of assistance, she said.

Turning to article 13 on the elimination of discrimination against women
in other areas of economic and social life, participants said that the
report had made no reference to financial grants, credits, mortgages or
loans to women. More information on Slovakian initiatives in those areas
was needed.

Addressing article 14 on problems faced by rural women, participants
noted that the report had only given five paragraphs to the issue. The
socioeconomic environments of rural areas were less stable than those of
urban areas and this contributed to more discrimination against women.
Also, the problems of housing and employment were not addressed in the
report's consideration of article 14. Did rural women have the right to
own land if it was accessible? And if women were heads of their
households, did the Government provide special measures for them to own
land?

Other participants said unemployment had increased in rural areas and
that salaries of women were lower than those of their male counterparts.
Very few programmes were carried out to help the development of women.
Also, compared to males, females received an inferior education.

Participants also wanted to know the consequences resulting from
privatization in rural areas. What were the strategies devised by the
Government to improve the rural situation? Did the Government offer
retraining programmes for rural women? What were the new forms of
employment, benefits and remuneration mentioned in the report? Another
question asked was whether rural women were taking part in the rural
development that was mentioned in the report. If they were, what
proportion did they represent and what was the outcome of their
involvement? In addition, a question was raised about the opportunities
for participation by rural women in trade unions and agriculture.

Turning to article 16 on the elimination of discrimination against women
within the marriage and the family, participants said that violence against
women was clearly an area that needed urgent government attention. Given
the high concentration of citizens in family settings, it was likely that
violence there was a high level of violence, particularly sexual, against
female adolescents and girl children. Legislation to protect females from
that violence needed to be put in place. Also shelters, medical treatment,
counselling and other social safety nets needed to be set up.

In addressing article 16, the report needed to elaborate on the rights of
women to equality in the family, said an expert. Did co-ownership of
family property imply equal ownership? In divorce situations, did women
get an equal share or was settlement based on financial contributions, in
which case women usually received less. If co-ownership policies were
introduced, then emphasis should be put on the effect of the divorce
judgement and not on settlement based on financial input since women were
left to raise the family, which usually included children.

Participants noted that Slovakians felt a need to return to traditional
values. That was due to the upheavals of financial and political
transformations. The Government had given parents the choice to either
look after children or to work. Could there be no reconciliation between
the family and work? Did the
Government compensate the work done by the spouse responsible for bringing
up the family?

The representative of Slovakia said answers to all questions raised by
experts would be made on Monday, 29 June.