Czech hospital, Romany woman agree on compensation

This article comes to us from The Czech News Agency via the Roma Virtual Network. Statistics from the Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights for the Council of Europe states that since 1980, over 90,000 Romani women have been sterilized in the Czech Republic. This number, while obscene, makes a very bold statement about the conditions the Romani within the Czech Republic face and also about the attitudes regarding the Romani by Czech citizens. Many Romni fear to seek redress from the government and very few step forward. The process is grueling and painful and few women want to step into the public spotlight. We applaud Iveta Cervenakova for her courage and rejoice with her that this issue has been resolved to her favor. Perhaps more women now will seek redress and the policy can be seen for what it is: racist, shameful, and regressive.

Skupina:       Aktuální zpravodajství

Titulek:       Czech hospital, Romany woman agree on compensation
Datum vydání:  20.12.2011
Čas vydání:    15:41
Klíčová slova: Czech; court; hospital; compensation; sterilisation
ID:            T201112200621101
Servis:        col
Priorita:      4
Kategorie:     eng

Czech hospital, Romany woman agree on compensation

Olomouc/Ostrava, North Moravia, Dec 20 (CTK) - Czech Romany woman Iveta Cervenakova has reached agreement with the Municipal Hospital in Ostrava on compensation for unwanted sterilisation she underwent in 1997, spokesman for the hospital Jiri Maler told CTK today.

Courts were dealing with Cervenakova's case for many years.

Both sides agreed not to disclose the level of compensation, but it is probably half a million crowns that the regional court formerly awarded to Cervenakova.

Cervenakova underwent sterilisation on July 9, 1997. She claimed she was not properly informed about the treatment and its consequences.

She said she only signed agreement with a Caesarean on the operating table when she was being delivered of her second child. The first was also born by a Caesarean section.

Cervenakova learnt that she cannot have any more children only seven years later when she wanted to have another child.

Courts were dealing with the case several years. The case eventually ended at the Supreme Court that decided in the middle of the year that the High Court in Olomouc did not look into whether the statute of limitation may be at variance with good morals.

This is not the only case in the Czech Republic. The issue of Romany sterilisations has been discussed in the country since the autumn 2000 when the European Roma Rights Centre mentioned the suspicion of forced sterilisation of Romany women.

European Romany activists said involuntary sterilisations were also carried out in Bulgaria, Hungary and Romany, but they claimed that the biggest number was in the Czech Republic and in Slovakia.

($1=19.399 crowns)

ms/dr/kva