UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 9) Slovakia signed and ratified several UN and Council of Europe human rights instruments during the period under review. In May 2010, Slovakia became a State party to the CRPD and its OP.

National Report Annex 1:
The National Strategy for the Protection of Children against Violence was approved on 15 January 2014, and at the same time the National Coordination Centre for Resolving the Issues of Violence against Children was established as a separate organisational entity belonging to the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic (MLSAF SR). Since the start of the implementation period of The National Strategy for the Protection of Children against Violence, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on increasing awareness of the issues violence against children and on ways to help. In connection with this, the National Coordination Centre launched a website in 2015 www.detstvobeznasilia.gov.sk (childhood without violence), which aims to become the basic information channel providing information related to the issues of violence against children for professionals and adult lay public, as well as children themselves. The National Project to Support the Protection of Children against Violence was approved on 23 October 2017, focusing on streamlining the system for protecting children against violence by setting up systemic coordination of entities participating in tasks related to the protection of children.
The recommendation has been implemented.

UN Compilation:
Para 35) CEDAW noted with concern that there was no legal provision regulating de facto unions, which might deprive women of protection and redress in cases of separation from their partner. The Committee noted that the law on property distribution upon divorce did not adequately address gender-based economic disparities between spouses resulting from traditional work and family life patterns.
Para 47) CEDAW noted with concern that discriminatory stereotypes regarding the roles and responsibilities of women and men in society and family were deeply rooted in Slovakia, and that there had been campaigns by non-State actors advocating for traditional family values, overemphasizing the roles of women as mothers and caretakers, and criticizing gender equality as “gender ideology”.

Stakeholder Summary:
Para 29) The SNCHR reported that the activities of international and local businesses operating in Slovakia had certain negative impacts on the enjoyment of human rights, including discrimination of vulnerable groups (e.g. women, …)
Para 48) The SNCHR stated that discriminatory stereotypes concerning social and family roles of women and men were deeply rooted in Slovakia. Women continued to bear a disproportionate share of family and household responsibilities. The SNCHR explained that, in terms of gender stereotyping, a fundamental problem laid on misinterpretation of the term “gender equality”. Some groups of society considered gender equality as a threat to traditionalism.
Para 49) JS1 reported that gender inequality remained evident in many areas of private and public life.

National Report:
Para 54) The current legislation in the SR allows healthcare professionals to apply a conscientious objection. Applying the conscientious objection allows a person to fully exercise the right to freedom of conscience and personal belief regarding the protection of an unborn child by a healthcare professional. It is laid down in the Act on the Provision of Healthcare Services and the Act on the Healthcare Providers, Health Workers and Professional Organisations in the Health Service. The right of a healthcare professional to apply the conscientious objection is further explicitly provided for in the Code of Ethics for Healthcare Professionals, which forms Annex 4 to the Act on Healthcare Providers, Health Workers and Professional Organisations in the Health Service.

National Report Annex 1:
The Slovak Republic fully respects conscientious objection of healthcare practitioners to performing an abortion, sterilisation and treatment related to assisted reproduction.
A healthcare professional’s conscientious objection in providing healthcare is laid down in the Act on the Provision of Healthcare Services and Act on the Healthcare Providers, Health Workers and Professional Organisations in the Health Service. The right of a healthcare professional to apply a conscientious objection is explicitly provided for in the Code of Ethics for Healthcare Professionals, which forms an annex to the Act on Healthcare Providers, Health Workers and Professional Organisations in the Health Service.
The recommendation has been implemented.