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Description
In the Czech Republic, about 7,000 victims (mainly Romani women and women with disabilities) were involuntarily sterilized. After a long call by international organizations for creating a mechanism for compensating illegally sterilized women (for example, CEDAW: https://bit.ly/3lfs2qo), the law on compensation for women sterilized against the law (https://bit.ly/3eCS8lU) passed the first reading 10. 3. 2021. The law has significant support across the political spectrum, so we believe that it will be approved soon.
Victims of illegal sterilizations have been waiting for compensation for decades and an estimated 400 women will want to apply for it. As they often have low socio-economic status, old age and unfavorable health, they will need help applying for compensation. The aim of the project is to provide them with legal assistance and necessary support in cooperation with the partner organization Vzájemné soužití. The assistance will be provided by a team consisting of lawyers, key sterilization representative Elena Gorolová, peer-to-peer workers from the ranks of involuntarily sterilized women and a coordinator. The Center for Women''s Aid will be in Ostrava and Brno. The team will create a practical guide on how to effectively seek redress.
There are other forms of obstetric violence that are ill-treatment, which is newly acknowledged by the Office of the Government in its latest strategy (https://bit.ly/38FPmZz), which aims, among other things, to implement the UN Special Rapporteur''s recommendations on violence against women. In line with this strategy, the project''s lawyers will provide legal assistance to victims of obstetric violence, targeting also disadvantaged women, to achieve remedial action and systemic change. We will also train suitable health professionals as well as other lawyers in the field of obstetric violence. We will organize two summer schools for students that will reflect both illegal sterilization and other forms of obstetric violence.
Summary of project results
The project focused on helping victims of involuntary sterilization and victims of obstetric violence. In addition to provision of the legal assistance, the project promoter also educated law and medical students and health professionals. The biggest problem throughout the project was the Ministry of Health''s violation of the Compensation Act, which required significantly more legal work than the project promoter had anticipated.
The project promoter implemented following activities: legal assistance to victims of unlawful sterilization, legal counselling and legal representation of victims of obstetric violence, education of university students, professional education of medical personnel and medical students. They were important for the following reasons: protection of human rights and justice for victims, awareness raising and education, prevention and improvement of health services, availability of educational materials, promotion of professional dialogue and knowledge exchange, promotion of systemic change. Overall, these activities promote justice, education, awareness and systems reform, thereby contributing to the protection and strengthening of reproductive rights and ensuring respect for human dignity and bodily autonomy.
The project provided legal assistance and support to victims of unlawful sterilization and obstetric violence. It improved the quality of health services by training health professionals and creating public educational materials. The project promoter helped 108 victims of illegal sterilization, 15 victims of obstetric violence, trained more than 300 health professionals, created training videos, organized 2 summer schools for 39 students on Reproductive Rights and organized a seminar for legal professionals.