TWO WOMEN have turned to the UN with the complaint against Slovakia over race and gender discrimination, the Slovak Foreign Affairs Ministry informed in its report over individual complaints against Slovakia accepted by the UN human rights committees, the SITA newswire reported on July 28.
In a complaint accepted by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) last November, one woman objects to the alleged violation of her rights in the area of employment and right for work. The mother of two was allegedly dismissed after she had returned from the maternity leave, the Sme daily wrote.
The second woman, who turned to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) in April, complains over the alleged violation of the ban of discrimination based on ethnic origin. According to Sme, the woman says she was refused when looking for the job because of her ethnicity.
Both committees should issue their decision by September. Even if they agreed with the women that their rights were really violated, the state will face no punishment.
“The decisions of the UN committees are not court decisions (i.e. are not legally binding), and they represent a recommendation for the concerned state,” the ministry wrote in the report, as quoted by SITA. “If the committee finds a violation of any article of the convention, it usually recommends the state pass measures to remedy the deficiencies as well as to prevent similar violations in the future.”
So far, 13 complaints against Slovakia have been submitted, nine of which have already been closed. In three cases the UN committees decided that Slovakia violated the articles of the UN conventions.
Source: SITA, Sme
Compiled by Radka Minarechová from press reports
The Slovak Spectator cannot vouch for the accuracy of the information presented in its Flash News postings.
