Tag Archives: Sterilisation

The Czech government has finally agreed to extend the deadline for submitting their claims for forced sterilisation by two years to January 2027. The deadline was originally set to January 2025, but the authorities raised so many hurdles for Romnja, that is was almost impossible to get these sterilisations acknowledged (even when there was some written evidence).

• Nová naděje na odškodnění pro nedobrovolně sterilizované romské ženy. In: Seznam Zpravy. 05.12.2024. https://www.seznamzpravy.cz/clanek/domaci-nova-nadeje-na-odskodneni-pro-nedobrovolne-sterilizovane-romske-zeny-265803

NGOs have called on the government to give victims of illegal sterilizations more time to claim compensation. According to them, the Ministry of Health does not process applications on time for a long time. The deadline now runs until the end of this year. And there are cases where the victims have been waiting for 554 days. The legal limit is 60 days …

This is bad faith on the Czech administration.

• 554 dní čekání. Stát nestíhá řešit odškodnění sterilizovaných žen, neziskovky chtějí delší lhůtu. In: Denik N. 09.10.2024. https://denikn.cz/1546114/554-dni-cekani-stat-nestiha-resit-odskodneni-sterilizovanych-zen-neziskovky-chteji-delsi-lhutu/?ref=tit

The Human Rights League (LLP), Roma organizations and activists called on the government to extend the law on compensation for illegal sterilizations. Organizations criticized the Ministry of Health for prolonging the application process. By law, the resort has 60 days to do so, but in practice it can take several months to years. The ombudsman repeatedly criticized the ministry’s approach to compensation.

Dozens of women demonstrated in Ostrava for compensation for forced sterilization.

• Vyřízení odškodnění za sterilizaci trvá i roky, organizace žádají nové termíny. In: iDnes. 08.10.2024. https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/nedobrovolna-sterilizace-romske-zeny-ministerstvo-zdravotnictvi.A241008_114929_domaci_tty
• https://www.idnes.cz/zpravy/domaci/nedobrovolna-sterilizace-romske-zeny-ministerstvo-zdravotnictvi.A241008_114929_domaci_tty/foto

More than 500 Czech Romnja are still waiting for authorities to rule on their claims for compensation for having undergone forced sterilization over a period of decades, according to reports from Czech public television. A bill to compensate women who have been sterilized without legal consent in the past was approved by parliament in 2021, but the compensation process is complicated by the lack of medical documentation in many cases.

A court recently ruled that authorities should accept other types of evidence, such as testimonies, but progress on this has been slow. The department received over 1,100 applications, of which approximately 600 were processed and over 400 approved.

• L’indemnisation de femmes roms stérilisées sans consentement compliquée par le manque de documents. In: Radio Prague International. 20.08.2023. https://francais.radio.cz/lindemnisation-de-femmes-roms-sterilisees-sans-consentement-compliquee-par-le-8791907

Time has passed since the legislation allowing people who were forced sterilised to ask for compensation. Well, so far, only 275 have received the money. This is almost deliberately slow.

• Stérilisations forcées : la double peine des femmes rom face aux lenteurs des indemnisations. In: Radio Prague International. 26.04.2023. https://francais.radio.cz/sterilisations-forcees-la-double-peine-des-femmes-rom-face-aux-lenteurs-des-8781406
• Commissioner: 275 Roma forced sterilisation victims compensated to date. In: Radio Prague International. 304.2023. https://english.radio.cz/commissioner-275-roma-forced-sterilisation-victims-compensated-date-8781101

The fight for compensation for Roma women who were illegally sterilized lasted over 18 years. Although the compensation law has been in force since January 2022, the officials of the Ministry of Health make decisions slowly and arbitrarily, according to the victims and their representatives. Even the woman, whose medical documentation directly states her Roma origin as the reason for the sterilization, was not granted the compensation of 300,000 kroner until her second attempt.

In an open letter to the Czech Health Minister, NOGs stated that “261 applications were submitted and 74 were decided. However, only 35 applications were successful.” In violation of the law, the officials’ decision-making was delayed several times.

• Nezákonně sterilizované ženy se odškodnění domáhají těžko. Naději přináší uznaný 300tisícový nárok Romky S. K. In: Hate Free. 03.2023. https://www.hatefree.cz/clanky/nezakonne-sterilizovane-zeny-se-odskodneni-domahaji-tezko-nadeji-prinasi-uznany-300tisicovy-narok-romky-s-k

The Minister of Health has reconsidered the decision regarding the rejection of a sterilization application based on discriminatory racial grounds. The application was originally rejected despite the fact that the applicant’s Roma origin was mentioned in the medical documentation as the reason for the sterilization.

The woman will thus be compensated and was awarded an amount of 300 thousand crowns.

• Ministerstvo zdravotnictví muselo přehodnotit rozhodnutí: Žadatelka získala odškodnění ve výši 300 tisíc korun za nezákonnou sterilizaci. In: Romea. 18.03.2023. https://romea.cz/cz/domaci/ministerstvo-zdravotnictvi-muselo-prehodnotit-rozhodnuti-zadatelka-ziskala-odskodneni-ve-vysi-300-tisic-korun-za-nezakonne-sterilizaci

The Czech Prime Minister has condemned the current process of compensation of the victims of forced sterilisations. Several of them were turned down, even though the official reason for the sterilisation was that they were Roma.

Good – but it took time …

• Czech PM condemns Health Ministry process for compensating illegally sterilized women, says officials are being too bureaucratic and unhelpful. In: Romea. 17.02.2023. https://romea.cz/en/czech-republic/czech-pm-condems-health-ministry-process-for-compensating-illegally-sterilized-women-says-officials-are-being-too-bureaucratic-and-unhelpful

In spite of the vote in parliament granting a one-time compensation of CZK 300’000 9EUR 12’000) to women who were forcefully sterilised between 1966 and 2022, the process to apply for the compensation and to get it is fraught with issues. In some cases, applicants were denied the payment.

Bad.

• How the Czech compensation mechanism for illegal sterilizations is (not) working so far. In: Romea. 06.12.2022. https://romea.cz/en/uncategorized/commentary-how-the-czech-compensation-mechanism-for-illegal-sterilizations-is-not-working-so-far

Some comments to the recent judgement denying a Romni compensation for forced sterilisations even though the medical record indicates that the reason was she was Romani. The Czech Human Right Commissioner reacts.

• Czech Govt Human Rights Commissioner: Unfortunate decision not to compensate Romani woman for sterilization contradicts the very point of the law. In: Romea. 11.11.2022. https://romea.cz/en/czech-republic/czech-govt-human-rights-commissioner-unfortunate-decision-not-to-compensate-romani-woman-for-sterilization-contradicts-the-very-point-of-the-law

Soňa Karolová (65) will not receive compensation for the forced sterilisation she was submitter too. The doctors justified it in writing by her being a Romni. She is one of the 116 victims of involuntary sterilization to whom the Ministry of Health refused compensation of 300,000 crowns which was recently decided by the parliament. According to lawyers, this is a systemic failure. The ministry declined to comment on the case.

SHAME!

• Sterilizace z důvodu romského původu: ministerstvo ale ženě odmítlo přiznat odškodnění. In: Irozhlas. 08.11.2022. https://www.irozhlas.cz/zpravy-domov/romsky-sterilizace-stat-ministerstvo-zdravotnictvi-odskodneni_2211080500_ank

A good theatre project to deal with the forced sterilisation that was common in the Czech Republic until 2007 …

• Roma women share stories of forced sterilisation. In: Al Jazeera. 20.07.2016. http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2016/07/roma-women-share-stories-forced-sterilisation-160701100731050.html