Presentation by Judge B. B. Donald given to Slovak judges
ODZ, 22. 9. 2022
On September 9, 2022, CDA held an online event for judges of Slovak courts of all levels with a key presentation given by Judge Bernice Bouie Donald of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit. The event was organised in cooperation with the U.S. Embassy in Bratislava.
Judge Donald is the first Afro-American working (since 2011) as one of the 16 judges at the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit which hears appeals from all of the circuit courts within its jurisdiction. It has jurisdiction over federal appeals arising from the states of Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and Tennessee and its rulings may be appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States.
Judge Donald is a remarkable figure of the US judiciary.* Besides her judicial work, she has contributed to opening up important issues concerning the functioning of legal professions as well as the design and the running of the justice system in more broader terms in the U.S. and abroad. Continue reading
Courts as actors of change in coping with discrimination in Slovakia (project)
From November 2021 till December 2022, we are implementing the project Courts as actors of change in coping with discrimination in Slovakia: informing, educating and sensitizing judges and the public to foster values of dignity and justice. The project is supported by the US Embassy in Slovakia within its Small Grants Program.
The main objective of the project is to strengthen the capability of courts to adequately deal with issues of inequality and discrimination and correspondingly with rights of those who are discriminated against and/or marginalized, and to increase the level of respect for and acceptation of these individuals and groups by the general public. Continue reading
CHILDBIRTH – RIGHTS – PANDEMIC
Monitoring Report on Violations of the Human Rights of Women in the Provision of Childbirth Care in Healthcare Facilities in Slovakia During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Editor: Janka Debrecéniová
Authors: Janka Debrecéniová – Miroslava Kotríková Rašmanová – Lýdia Marošiová
The publication CHILDBIRTH – RIGHTS – PANDEMIC (published in Slovak in April 2021) presents the results of monitoring designed to identify and describe violations of the human rights of women in the provision of antenatal and childbirth care in healthcare facilities in Slovakia during the period between early March 2020 and the end of June 2020 (a period often referred to as the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic). The monitoring was carried out using several methods, the primary source of information being an internet survey among women about their experience with the provision of healthcare before, during and after childbirth during the said period. An English version of the publication will be published before the end of this year. Continue reading
Webinar: Women’s Human Rights in Childbirth in Slovakia and Norway with Focus on the COVID-19 Pandemic
CDA/ODZ, 28. 10. 2021
Webinar Women’s Human Rights in Childbirth in Slovakia and Norway with Focus on the COVID-19 Pandemic held on 28 October 2021 was organised by Citizen, Democracy and Accountability (CDA, Bratislava, Slovakia) in cooperation with the Institute of Nursing and Health Promotion at Faculty of Health Science, OsloMet – Oslo Metropolitan University (Oslo, Norway). The group of participants was quite diverse ranging from practicing professionals in the field of midwifery, teachers and researchers from academia to activists from non-governmental organisations.
Presentations opening the webinar were focused mostly on childbirth experience, human rights and institutional and state accountability as the cross-cutting issues and the principles grounding the research work. They served as the introductions to the contexts in Slovakia and Norway. Continue reading
Let’s Take the Needs of Women in Childbirth Seriously! (project)
From May 2019 till December 2021 we have been implementing the project Let’s Take the Needs of Women in Childbirth Seriously! Promoting Women’s Human Rights in Public Policies in the Field of Health. Project partners are the Faculty of Health Science of Oslo Metropolitan University and Slovak NGO Women’s Circles (Ženské kruhy). The project is supported by the ACF – Slovakia programme, financed from the EEA Financial Mechanism 2014 – 2021 and managed by the EKOPOLIS Foundation in partnership with Nadácia otvorenej spoločnosti – Open Society Foundation (NOS – OSF) and the Carpathian Foundation.
The main aim of the project is to contribute to increasing public control, NGO networking and exerting of coordinated pressure on the institutions with responsibilities. In cooperation with the partners both from Norway and Slovakia, we have been implementing research and monitoring activities. Within the project, we have been preparing proposals of solutions based on the results. In cooperation with media, we have been shaping public discourse and developing pressure also on institutions with powers. Continue reading
Violations of Women’s and Newborns’ Rights in Childbirth Getting Worse in Slovak Hospitals during Pandemic
CDA/ODZ + ŽK, 29. 10. 2020
Slovak non-governmental organisations Občan, demokracia a zodpovednosť (Citizen, Democracy and Accountability, CDA) and Ženské kruhy (Women’s Circles) warn of the increasing number of violations of the human rights of women and newborns in childbirth in Slovak hospitals during the current pandemic crisis. The separation of mothers from their newborns is one of the most severe forms of these violations. The organisations urgently stress that healthcare facilities and the state must ensure that childbirth care is provided in compliance with human rights and medical standards even in this complicated situation.
CDA and Women’s Circles had already warned of the deteriorating situation with respect to the violations of the rights of women and children in birthing facilities during the first wave of the pandemic. The same was observed in the second wave as well. “For example, newborn babies continue to be separated from their mothers, and this practice gets even worse if the woman giving birth has tested positive for COVID-19 or shows its typical symptoms. In a number of cases, women with COVID-19 have been discharged from hospital the next day after giving birth, but their babies remained in the hospital without any contact with their mothers whatsoever. There are also cases where parents have no contact with their infants kept at intensive care units for several days or even weeks. Continue reading
Appeal for compliance with healthcare standards in childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic
CDA/ODZ + ŽK, 30. 3. 2020
An open letter to relevant government & public authorities, institutions and health care facilities
Non-governmental organisations Ženské kruhy (Women’s Circles) and Občan, demokracia a zodpovednosť (Citizen, Democracy and Accountability) have for several years been documenting violations of women’s human rights during childbirths in Slovak hospitals. Health care provided to women in connection with childbirth is emergency medical care and its provision must be in line with the relevant standards, even at a time of epidemics. Pregnant and birthing women represent a specific group of vulnerable population which deserves special attention. However, the relevant government institutions and the measures they have adopted so far pay almost no attention to the situation of pregnant and birthing women.
Continue reading
Mistreatment and violence against women during reproductive health care with a focus on childbirth
CDA/ODZ + ŽK, 20. 5. 2019
Here below, find the Joint submission to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women by our NGO Občan, demokracia a zodpovednosť (Citizen, Democracy and Accountability) and Ženské kruhy (Women’s Circles), May 2019:
Občan, demokracia a zodpovednosť (Citizen, Democracy and Accountability – CDA) and Ženské kruhy (Women’s Circles) present this submission to the Special Rapporteur on violence against women for its consideration in the context of Mistreatment and violence against women during reproductive health care with a focus on childbirth.
CDA (www.odz.sk) is an independent civic association that promotes the values of open society based on civic responsibility and the accountability of public authorities. One of CDA’s primary aims is to assert everyone’s rights to human dignity and to protection from discrimination, as well as to assert the human rights of women. Women’s circles (www.zenskekruhy.sk) is an independent civic association focusing on the field of maternity care and the rights therein. One of the goals is that respect, dignity and the freedom of choice for women in pregnancy and childbirth would become self-evident. Continue reading
WOMEN – MOTHERS – BODIES II: Systemic aspects of violations of women’s human rights in birth care provided in healthcare facilities in Slovakia
CDA/ODZ, 8. 2. 2018
Women – Mothers – Bodies II: Systemic Aspects of Violations of Women’s Human Rights in Birth Care Provided in Healthcare Facilities in Slovakia is a second publication jointly released by Slovak NGOs Občan, demokracia a zodpovednosť (Citizen, Democracy and Accountability) and Ženské kruhy (Women’s Circles) as a result of their long-term cooperation. The book is a sequel to Women – Mothers – Bodies: Women’s Human Rights in Obstetric Care in Healthcare Facilities in Slovakia that gave pilot insights into the violations of women’s human rights in Slovak birthing facilities from the perspective of women as rights holders. Continue reading
A Slovak Court Confirms Discrimination in Redundancy Dismissal of Top Female Researcher by National Forest Centre
CDA/ODZ, 20. 3. 2017
The Zvolen District Court in Slovakia issued a long-awaited ruling on Friday, 17 March 2017, in the case of Viera Petrášová, a senior researcher and sworn expert in forestry, against her former employer, public quasi-budgetary agency National Forest Centre (Národné lesnícke centrum – NLC). The court ruled that the NLC’s 2009 decision on her dismissal was invalid, including for being discriminatory. Viera Petrášová (the “applicant”) has been represented in the proceedings pending before courts since 2009 by our NGO Citizen, Democracy and Accountability (CDA).
The decision is groundbreaking because, despite antidiscrimination legislation being in place in Slovakia since 2004, there are still precious few cases when courts have decided about discrimination against women on grounds of sex and gender. This, however, does not mean there are few women subject to discrimination, quite the contrary.
The ruling is notable for examining the discrimination against a female employee of a public research institution regarding several aspects. For example, one such interesting aspect concerns the allowance in public institutions of opportunities for employees to submit and coordinate outside projects often funded by public resources (including EU funds); in other words, an opportunity for the employees’ further career growth and, quite often, better pay. The court also comments on employers’ obligation to prevent discrimination – a very rare, yet progressive approach in Slovakia. Continue reading
