Contributed by: Sylvia Kralova, Slovakia National VAW Monitor

The number of sexual harassment complaints filed in Slovakia is increasing. This was confirmed to the Slovak Information and Press Agency (SITA) by Daniela Gemerska, the Head of the Legal Aid and Services Department of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights (hereinafter “the Centre”).

The Centre dealt with about 150 cases of harassment from June 2004 to March 2008. These were particularly cases in which the victims had been exposed to sexual harassment. “Due to lack of legal framework, we used to deal with such complaints in the past as with harassment on the grounds of sex,” said Gemerska. Most of these complaints – 40 – were related to sexual harassment of women in the workplace who were primarily harassed by their colleagues and superiors.

The amendment to the Anti-discrimination Act that defined the term sexual harassment took effect in April 2008. Since its adoption, about 30 complaints related to sexual harassment have been filed with the Centre’s head office in Bratislava and its seven regional offices. In most cases, the subject of the complaints was sexual harassment in the workplace. “It was usually a man in a superior position who would make sexual comments and proposals towards the woman. If the woman refused them, she was usually dismissed on the grounds of organizational changes,” stated Gemerska. The Centre has also dealt with sexual harassment in health care provision and a case of a high school student who was harassed by her teacher.

The Slovak National Centre for Human Rights is the only Slovak institution that deals with the equal treatment principle in accordance with the Anti-discrimination Act. It was founded in 1994.

The amended Anti-discrimination Act adopted by the Parliament on February 14th and effective as of April 1st 2008 has broadened the scope of grounds on which discrimination is prohibited. According to the above law, respecting the equal treatment principle is based on non-discrimination on the grounds of sex, religion, race, nationality or ethnic origin, disablement, age, sexual orientation marital or family status, skin color, language, political or other views, nationality or social origin, material possession, gender or other status.

Sexual harassment is a new issue introduced in the amendment, which defines it as "verbal, non-verbal, or physical conduct of a sexual nature that is intended to or results in violation of a person's dignity and creates intimidating, humiliating, degrading, hostile or offensive environment.” A complaint in cases of sexual harassment can be filed with the court or the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights.

Compiled from: “The Number of Sexual Harassment Complaints Increases,” SITA/Webnoviny, Bratislava, 9 June 2008.