Contributed by: Branislava Vargová, Czech National VAW Monitor (ROSA)

Prague, August 7th 2006 (Czech Press Agency) - According to the Czech nongovernmental organisations, the legal protection of women is not sufficient and regardless of some small improvements, women’s rights are in many cases violated in the Czech Republic. Women have to face domestic violence, they are discriminated against in the labour market and do not have appropriate representation in politics and at decision-making positions. This is showed in the shadow report about discrimination against women, prepared by NGOs. The shadow report will be introduced in New York to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women as a counterpart of the governmental report about the situation in the Czech Republic on August 17th. Former Czechoslovak Republic signed the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1980. The Czech Republic adopted obligations arising from this Convention. At present, the Czech Government has submitted to the UN Committee three reports, the last one concerning the period from July 1999 till December 2003. In the report the Government had mentioned progress in legislation, establishment of The Government Council for Equal Opportunities for Women and Men or the Campaign against Domestic Violence.

"Many things in the Czech Republic seem to be completely perfect from the formal point of view, but in reality there is just small progress. The Government does not admit big gaps in many areas," says Alena Králíková, the director of the organisation Gender Studies to the Czech Press Agency. She added that governments from other countries also claimed bigger improvements.

The shadow report was elaborated by NGOs including Gender Studies, League of Human Rights and European Roma Rights Centre. The report will be introduced to the UN Committee by Alena Králíková from Gender Studies, Gwendolyn Albert, the director of League of Human Rights and a gypsy woman, who according to her statement was sterilized without her approval.

The shadow report in detail deals with the problem of compulsory sterilisations. It says that the last case happened in the Czech Republic in 2001. "Relevant authorities still didn’t pay attention to the compulsory sterilisations, they didn’t take any responsible steps to solve it and recompense the victims," says a representative of the League of Human Rights.

Shadow report emphasizes the fact that the Czech Republic does not have an anti-discrimination law. Czech Republic was supposed to adopt an anti-discrimination law at the phase of joining the EU. An important step was made by adopting legislation against domestic violence. The implementation of this law will be limited by insufficient training of police, health care providers and social workers in the field of protection of victims of domestic violence. There is also a lack of therapeutic programmes for perpetrators and centres providing comprehensive and specialized support for victims.

In the labour market, women have to face both direct and indirect discrimination, and gypsy women are discriminated against even more on account of negative attitudes of the Czech society.  

The report criticizes the failure of the state in the cases of enforcement of alimony payment from parents who refuse to fulfill their parental obligations and also its failure in increasing the number of female students in technical disciplines. NGOs alert that the representation of women in the public life is at one of the lowest levels in EU. The UN Committee already recommended that the Czech government adopt measures to raise number of women in politics.

Compiled from: Stínová zpráva o diskriminaci: právní ochrana žen je nedostatecná, Katerina Krausová, kar, CTK  (Czech Press Agency).