OSCE/ODIHR Event to Focus on Justice and Redress to Roma Victims of Forced Sterilization in the Czech Republic

On Wednesday, 1 June, the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) will convene an international conference on providing justice and compensation to Romani women who have been subjected to forced sterilization in the Czech Republic. Those attending will be representatives of the Czech Government,  survivors of forced sterilization, civil society organizations including Roma community organizations, international experts, and representatives of the Council of Europe, the OSCE/ODIHR, and the United Nations.

The conference hopes to serve as a forum for dialogue about the need to put mechanisms in place to ensure access to justice and compensation for the survivors of forced sterilization. Key speakers at the event will be Soraya Post, Member of the European Parliament, Lia Nadaraia, Member of the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), Luzius Mader, Deputy-Director of the Federal Office of Justice, Switzerland, Elena Gorolova, spokesperson for the Group of Romani Women Harmed by Forced Sterilization, and Mirjam Karoly, Senior Advisor at the OSCE Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues.

Last fall the Czech Government declined to adopt a compensation mechanism proposed by Czech Human Rights Minister Dienstbier. In February CEDAW expressed its dismay at that decision and urged the Government to reconsider as soon as possible.  

Journalists are invited to attend the opening of the conference from 9:00 to 9:45 on Wednesday, 1 June at the American Center Prague, Tržiště 13 (1st floor). For further information or to arrange interviews with conference participants, please contact Thomas Rymer, ODIHR Spokesperson, at +48 609 522 266, thomas.rymer@odihr.pl, or Tatjana Peric, Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues, Deputy Chief OSCE Contact Point for Roma and Sinti Issues, at +48 691 060 336, tatjana.peric@odihr.pl.