UPR Sexual Rights Database

National Report:
Para 4) As for prevention and elimination of violence against women, several measures have been adopted in line with the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women 2014-2019.
Para 15) The adoption of the Victims Act also resulted in amending the provisions of CC laying down a special motive (§140). In the case of selected criminal offences, having the characteristics of a special motive warrants the use of heavier sentences. The previous provisions related to special motive in §140e established that a criminal offence is committed out of a special motive if it is committed out of hatred towards a group of persons or an individual for their actual or assumed membership of a race, nation, nationality, ethnic group, for their actual or assumed origin, colour, sexual orientation, political opinion or religion. The amendment to the CC also added sex to the definition of a reason for hatred.
Para 58) Reports of alleged inhumane treatment or use of violence against arrested, detained or accused persons by members of the PF are duly examined and investigated by an investigator or an authorised member of the PF of the Office of Inspection Service of the Section of Control and Inspection Service of the MI SR regardless of sex, race or ethnic origin of the aggrieved persons.

National Report Annex 1:
The Act on Crime Victims became effective on 1 January 2018. The Act introduces basic concepts such as ‘victim’, ‘particularly vulnerable victim’, or ‘domestic violence crimes’ into the legal system. A domestic violence crime is, among other things, a crime committed by using violence or the threat of violence against a spouse, former spouse, partner, former partner, parent of the same child or to other person who lives or lived in the same household. Particularly vulnerable persons are also persons who are victims of domestic violence crimes.

The adoption of the Act on Crime Victims also resulted in amending the provisions of the Criminal Law laying down special motive (§140). In the case of selected criminal offences, having the characteristics of a special motive warrants the use of heavier sentences. The amendment to the Criminal Law also adds sex to the definition of a reason for hatred.

Domestic violence is a criminal offence in the Slovak Republic. The interpretation of these unlawful acts covers all possible situations, while respecting the international definition of this criminal offence. Besides domestic violence crimes, the Criminal Law specifically defines sexual violence crimes, as well as rape, which also includes marital rape. The Slovak legal system does not tolerate any form of rape during marriage.

In recent years, a series of amendments amending a number of provisions of the CL, the Criminal Code and other laws, which were substantially related to prosecution of violence against women including domestic violence, have been adopted in the Slovak Republic. One of the measures is evicting the offender from the shared household. The period of time a police officer is authorised to evict a violent person for has been extended from 48 hours to 10 days. The eviction includes the obligation of an evicted person not to approach the person under threat closer than the distance of 10 metres.
The project of establishing the Coordination-Methodological Centre for Gender-Based and Domestic Violence (CMC) remains one of the key projects in the field. The CMC was officially established in 2015. The main objective is to create, implement and coordinate a comprehensive national policy in the field. The CMC set up an expert team responsible for professional coordination and supervision of systematic prevention and intervention to support victims and to provide services in the field of violence against women and domestic violence. The CMC ensures professional coordination of activities through methodological guidelines on providing services in the field of primary prevention and elimination of violence against women and their children, and creates conditions for multi-institutional cooperation.
The recommendation has been implemented.

UN Compilation:
Para 53) Several treaty bodies noted the adoption of the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women 2014–2019. CEDAW noted with concern, however, the prevalence of gender-based violence and harmful practices against women, the underreporting of such violence and the low numbers of prosecutions and convictions of perpetrators, the limited application of protection orders by the police and the lack of a coordinated system for preventive measures and victim assistance in cases of gender-based violence.

National Report:
Para 55) The problems of reproductive health are also dealt with by the National Programme for the Care of Children and Adolescents, whose aim is to ensure optimum care for pregnant women and newborns. It includes both the effort and successful implementation of measures to reduce maternal mortality and morbidity rates, as well as improvement of the health status of new-born infants by providing equal access to health care, including family planning with an emphasis on Roma communities and other disadvantaged population groups. In order to protect the health and life of unborn children, the SR promotes the use of in utero medical procedures.
Para 56) All women in Slovakia have sufficient access to contraception methods. According to the data from the database of registered medicines at the State Institute for Drug Control, there are currently 387 types of hormonal contraceptives and 13 types of topical contraceptives registered in the SR that healthcare providers can prescribe to women. These contraceptives along with other forms of contraception are not covered by public health insurance, although in cases where their use is medically justified, they may be covered by a healthcare insurer from public health insurance. Condoms are freely available for sale at retail outlets.
Para 57) As part of its efforts to improve access to healthcare gynaecology and obstetrics wards for marginalised Roma women, the Ministry of Health of the SR (hereafter as “MH SR”) is preparing a pilot scheme within the Healthy Communities project to create health education assistant positions in hospitals (i.e. at gynaecology and obstetrics wards). Health education assistants are all employees from among the Roma population who are continuously educated in the field of healthcare and reproductive health. They are a key element in breaking down social barriers to providing healthcare to Roma minorities. Health education assistants will identify and link special needs of Roma women on the hand with the requirements of medical staff on the other, with an emphasis on an intercultural approach. This will allow the monitoring of possible signs of segregation of Roma women in providing healthcare.

National Report Annex 1:
The Government of the Slovak Republic assigned to the Minister of Health the task of preparing the “National Programme on Care for Women, Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health”. There are also ongoing discussions among interested parties on various aspects of these problems, as agreement on how to address them has not been reached. It is also for this reason that the Minister of Health of the Slovak Republic requested that the submission of the programme for approval be postponed until October 2019.
The recommendation has been implemented.

National Report Annex 1:
The Slovak Republic, as a party to agreements on human rights at the universal and regional levels, has an obligation to submit regular reports to inspection or treaty bodies on progress made in implementing the individual agreements. It fulfils the obligation.
The Slovak Republic ratified all optional protocols to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child: OP 1 on the Involvement of Children in Armed Conflict on 7 July 2006; OP 2 on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse for the Purpose of Child Prostitution and Child Pornography on 25 June 2004, and OP on the Reporting Procedure, which established a mechanism for individual reports of children’s rights violations on 3 December 2013.
The recommendation has been implemented.

National Report:
Para 9) ... In March 2012, Slovakia ratified the OP-ICESCR ...