At the end of March, we met with Roma activists from Jarovnice and Hermanovce, with whom we have long been advocating for the human rights of Roma minority in Slovakia and addressing discrimination against them.

At the meeting we discussed with the women:

  • Possible next steps to achieve justice for illegally sterilized Roma women. Despite the fact that the compensation law was recently not passed in Slovak parliament, we continue our efforts with the women to push for it,
  • Women’s expectations from our next joint meetings. Each of the women spoke of their negative as well as positive observations or experiences from previous meetings,
  • The possibility of expanding the group to include other Roma women who also face discrimination in their everyday lives.

We also evaluated our previous meetings and planned future joint activities.

“With each meeting we are stronger and together we can fight for our rights”,

said one of the women at the meeting.

We are glad that Roma women activists have been interested in meeting together for so many years and advocating for their rights. They can be an inspiration for other Roma women and we hope that they will have the opportunity to pass on their experiences to them at the next meetings. We will create the space and provide the necessary support for them in Poradňa.