WUNRN
CZECH REPUBLIC - CEDAW COMMITTEE
REVIEW OF REPORT
CONCLUDING OBSERVATIONS - ISSUE OF
FORCED STERILIZATIONS
Attached
are full recommendations of the UN CEDAW Committee to the Government of the
Czech Republic, including follow-up on the issue of forced
sterilizations within two years.
The recommendation on addressing forced sterilizations reads as follows:
35. The Committee, in accordance with its previous recommendations (CEDAW/C/CZE/CO/3,
para. 24), its general recommendations Nos. 19, 21 and 24, and the
recommendations in the Final Statement dated 23 December 2005 of the Ombudsman
in the matter of sterilizations performed in contravention of the law and
proposed remedial measures, urges the State party: to adopt legislative changes
clearly defining the requirements of free, prior and informed consent with
regard to sterilizations, in accordance with relevant international standards,
including a period of at least seven days between informing the patient about
the nature of the sterilization, its permanent consequences, potential risks
and available alternatives and the patient’s expression of her free, prior and
informed consent; review the three-year time limit in the statute of
limitations for bringing compensation claims in cases of coercive or
non-consensual sterilizations in order to extend it and, as a minimum, ensure
that such time limit starts from the time of discovery of the real significance
and all consequences of the sterilization by the victim rather than the time of
injury; consider establishing an ex-gratia compensation procedure for victims
of coercive or non-consensual sterilizations whose claims have lapsed; provide
all victims with assistance to access their medical records; and investigate
and punish illegal past practices of coercive or non-consensual sterilizations.
Follow-up to CEDAW Committee Concluding Observations
49. The Committee requests the State party to provide, within two years,
written information on the steps undertaken to implement the recommendations
contained in paragraphs 23 and 35.
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