International Women’s Day is an opportunity to draw the attention of politicians and the public to the fact that we still need systemic solutions to protect the human rights of women and girls in Slovakia. This year, together with other human rights organisations, we also marked the occasion of Women’s Day by reminding the powerful that one day of handing out flowers and pretending to care about women and girls is not enough. At a press conference organised by Amnesty International Slovakia on this occasion, we said, among other things:

“After so many years, our women who have been illegally sterilised must finally get justice and redress. The government and parliament must therefore act and finally pass a good compensation law already. It is sad that, even today, we Roma women face prejudice, stereotypes and hatred in various areas of our lives. I believe that one day we Roma women will also be accepted by this society and we will have the opportunity to live our lives in an environment that promotes equality and mutual understanding.”

You can read the full version of the joint press release in Slovak here.