This month marks 23 years since the publication of the report Body and Soul, through which the Poradňa pre občianske a ľudské práva (Centre for Civil and Human Rights) exposed the practice of forced sterilizations of Roma women in Slovakia in 2003. Although the Government of the Slovak Republic assumed responsibility for this practice and formally apologized to the women in November 2021, the affected women are still waiting for fair and systemic compensation.

Forced sterilizations took place in the former Czechoslovakia and in Slovakia between 1966 and 2004. The National Council of the Slovak Republic has repeatedly failed to pass a law that would enable compensation for the affected women. However, a draft law has once again been submitted to parliament and is expected to be debated.

Agáta Duchoňová from the Poradňa pre občianske a ľudské práva states:

“This is not just about a law or a political decision. It is about life stories, about the loss of the possibility to have children, and about the pain that Roma women have carried for decades. If the state’s apology is to be sincere, it must also be confirmed by fair compensation.”

Despite years of silence from the state, the affected women have not given up. Roma activist and one of the affected women, Veronika Duždová, adds:

“We waited decades for an apology, and we are still waiting for compensation. Many women did not live to see it. We do not want our story to be forgotten.”

Ensuring justice for forcibly sterilized women is a matter of fundamental justice. The Poradňa pre občianske a ľudské práva once again calls on Members of Parliament of the National Council of the Slovak Republic to allow the affected women to obtain justice without further delay.

The press release is also available in PDF format.