UPR Sexual Rights Database

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 20) At national level, several initiatives were launched in the area of combating violence against women, including the ratification and implementation of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, and the adoption of the National Action Plan for Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women. The Institute for Research of Labour and Family submits an annual Report on Violence against Women which assesses the scope and efficiency of support provided to victims. As regards initiatives envisaged for the future, establishment of coordination centre for violence against women and domestic violence is under preparation aimed at providing guidance on the prevention and elimination of violence. A project focused on social inclusion of perpetrators of domestic violence in prison and training of staff working with perpetrators is carried out in cooperation with NGOs.

Para 23) ... The Ministry of Justice will transpose Directive 2012/29/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 25 October 2012, establishing minimum standards on the rights, support and protection of victims of crime, with a view to reach comprehensive arrangement of victims' rights in criminal proceedings, including their access to legal assistance.

Para 24) The Act on compensation of persons affected by violent crimes was amended as of 1 June 2013 with a view to explicitly stipulate that persons affected by the crime of rape, sexual violence and sexual abuse have the right to pecuniary compensation for bodily injury and for moral damages (mental trauma, stress, anxiety, frustration).

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:
Para 21) Two EU Regulations were transposed by the amendment to the Criminal Code of 1 August 2013.
- Directive 2011/93/EU of the European Parliament and the Council of 13 December 2011 on combating the sexual abuse and sexual exploitation of children and child pornography;
- Directive 2011/36/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 April 2011 on preventing and combating trafficking in human beings and protecting its victims.

Para 22) Convention on the Protection of Children against Sexual Exploitation and Sexual Abuse (signed by Slovakia in 2009) and the Convention on combating trafficking in human beings in line with recommendations made by relevant monitoring body (GRETA).
The aim of the amendment was to achieve compliance with the Council of Europe

Para 28) In 2010, the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family carried out campaign on alternative forms of upbringing and on strengthening parental rights. Manuals from the Council of Europe programme "Building a Europe for and with Children" and from campaign on sexual violence against children were distributed to foster homes and to offices of labour, social affairs and family.

Para 34) Combating trafficking in human beings, including assistance to victims has been among priorities of the Ministry of Interior for a long time. Since 2006, the policy against human trafficking is guided by the National Programme of Combating Trafficking in Human Beings. Programme for the Promotion and Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking is part of the national programme. In line with the principle of equality and non-discrimination, victims are provided with services according to their individual needs on an equal basis, i.e. regardless of their nationality. Additional measures are applied towards victims' foreigners with respect to language barrier, legalization of residence and voluntary return to the country of origin.

Para 35) Complex assistance is provided to victims of human trafficking during the period of emergency assistance and 90-day period of recovery respectively. The assistance may be extended to the whole criminal proceedings subject to victims'appoval; if needed the assistance may be provided during 90-day reintegration process following the criminal proceedings. As a first step, victims are isolated from criminal environment. They are also provided with assistance in voluntary return to Slovakia, 90-day period of emergency assistance, financial and social assistance, psychological treatment, therapy, legal assistance, healthcare services, re-qualification trainings, and 90-day period of reintegration.

Para 36) The legal order contains provisions on combating trafficking in human beings. Its criminal aspects based on the Protocol to prevent, suppress and punish trafficking in persons, especially women and children are reflected in the Criminal Code. The crime of trafficking in human beings committed against person under the age of 18 is considered an aggravated circumstance with respect to imposing criminal penalty (further details on the protection and assistance to victims are included in paragraphs 21-24 of the report).

Para 37) In case a minor becomes a victim of trafficking, a socio-legal protection
authority in cooperation with the International Organization for Migration (IMO) or with non- governmental organization shall ensure that a minor is involved in the Programme of Support and Protection of Victims of Human Trafficking, and that he/she is provided with assistance and protection in a safe facility such as foster homes and crisis centres. Trainings on identification of victims of trafficking are regularly conducted for professionals working with children; training is also provided to staff of foster homes.

National Report:
Para 41) The right to access to employment is provided for in the Act on Employment Services. A citizen has the right to choose employment freely and work anywhere in the SR, or can choose to work abroad. In accordance with the Labour Code women and men are entitled to the same pay for the same work or for work of the same value. Under the Act on Equal Treatment in Certain Areas and Protection against Discrimination (Anti-Discrimination Act), sexual harassment at workplaces is prohibited.
Para 43) The MLSAF SR continuously adopts measures to reduce the salary gap between men and women. One of the most significant ones is an outreach campaign highlighting the ever-shrinking salaries paid to women, in addition to offering advice on the www.kedvyrastiem.sk (when I grow up) website on how to protect against discrimination on the labour market. Another significant measure to reduce the gender pay gap is a gradual minimum wage increase, as women find themselves in low-income jobs more often than men. Another important instrument for increasing employment and income levels for women was the national project “Family and Work” focused on balancing family and work life and on work opportunities for mothers with small children.
Para 44) As for the fight against discrimination, an important and indispensable role is played by social partners by promoting equal treatment, for example through monitoring workplace practices, access to employment, professional training and career progression, as well as through monitoring collective agreements, codes of conduct, research, or through sharing experience and best practice. In line with the principle of equal treatment, discrimination on the grounds of marital or family status, … gender … is prohibited.

National Report Annex 1:
Mitigation of multiple discrimination of the Roma is among the objectives of the Strategy of the Slovak Republic for the Integration of Roma until 2020 and its updated and new action plans. Reduction of differences in employment rates between the Roma and the national average is to be achieved by linking professional training and education with the labour market, by promoting a non-discriminative approach and by applying temporary countervailing measures in actual practice. During the 2016-2017 period, the measures were implemented using a wide range of measures at the section for education by looking for new ways of supporting youth employment, by means of programmes supporting entry onto the labour market, re-training, and by creating conditions for disadvantaged job candidates to enter the labour market through social economy entities.

A citizen has the right to unrestricted access to employment in line with the principle of equal treatment in employment relationships and in similar legal relationships, as it is established by the Anti-Discrimination Act. In line with the principle of equal treatment, discrimination on the grounds of marital or family status, colour, language, political or other opinion, engagement in trade unions, national or social origin, disability, age, wealth, gender or other status is prohibited.

Another important instrument to increase employment and income levels for women was the national project “Family and Work” focused on balancing family and work life and on work opportunities for mothers with small children.

The recommendation has been implemented.

UN Compilation:
Para 49) [CEDAW] was concerned that many public and private actors had not adopted temporary special measures to facilitate the participation of women in the labour market, and that the lack of effective measures to promote the reconciliation of work and family life constituted a barrier to women’s access to employment. It was also concerned that significant horizontal and vertical gender segregation existed in the labour market, and that the gender pay gap remained wide.

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