The Czech government’s commissioner for human rights, Klara Simackova Laurencikova, will seek to resume the ratification process of the Istanbul Convention on violence against women and domestic violence, she told reporters yesterday, on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
The commissioner said she believes that the government and the Senate could discuss and ratify the document in the first half of next year.
The Czech Republic signed the convention in 2016. The government agreed to continue the ratification process in June 2023, but the Senate did not approve ratification and halted it this January.
“The Czech Republic is one of the last five EU countries that have not ratified the convention, although the government approved it last summer,” said Simackova, pointing out that the convention addresses key issues including funding and access to services for victims of violence.
She recalled that just two more votes were needed in the Senate to approve the convention.
Government Office gender equality section head Radan Safarik said the government needs to deal with the Convention, and again ask parliament to approve it.
“It is important to again negotiate with the newly elected senators and try to secure ratification, also with regard to the events of recent months that have brought to public attention that domestic violence against children, women and the elderly is a huge problem that is causing other pathologies,” Simackova said, in reference to the fresh verdict against psychiatrist Jan Cimicky, sentenced to prison for five years for multiple rapes, and to other high profile cases of child abuse.
According to opponents of ratification, the convention is redundant, as everything in it is contained within Czech law. Critics also accuse the Convention of promoting “gender ideology”, and complain that it pits women against men. Proponents say the adoption of the document is a commitment that the country will provide services for those in need, and that such violence is unacceptable.
By ratifying the convention, countries commit to enacting measures against violence, to prevention, and to allocating money for services. It also commits signatories to training for health workers, police officers and judges, medical assistance centres for victims of sexual violence, legal and psychological support, and shelters. The document condemns domestic violence, sexual harassment, rape, forced marriages, so-called honour crimes and genital mutilation. It categorises violence against women as discriminatory and a violation of human rights, and notes that women are much more likely to be victims of domestic and sexual violence than men, as well as victims of mass rape in armed conflicts.
The commissioner said the Czech aid system has shortcomings. The availability of services for victims or programmes for violent persons is not guaranteed, and funding is uncertain. There is only one centre for victims of sexual violence, in Prague. Secret refuges can only be found in Prague and Brno.
