Slovak NGOs have submitted a joint public comment on the proposed  National Action Plan for Prevention and Elimination of Violence against Women for the years 2009-2012 (NAP), drafted by the Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs and Family of the Slovak Republic. The NGOs consider the draft in its current version an inadequate framework for tackling the issue of violence against women effectively and have therefore proposed more than 40 changes in order to achieve its improvement. More than 1,000 Slovak citizens and some 50 women’s NGOs from abroad have supported the joint public comment so far.

NGOs filed the public comment with a view to achieving incorporation of important changes, which could bring about long-term and comprehensive solutions, into the document. Among other things, the NGOs propose amendment of the Police Forces Act that would prolong the current 48-hour period for which the police are authorized to expel the violent person from the shared home.

The lack of specific support services for women experiencing violence is yet another serious problem. This fact is not sufficiently reflected in the proposed NAP. The NGOs therefore propose a number of practical measures to ensure specific support services for women experiencing violence and their sufficient funding. The NGOs also consider it necessary to make free-of-charge legal counselling available to women experiencing violence and to address the fact that women experiencing violence are often consistently exposed to poverty as a consequence of the violence.

The NGOs' comments also aim to improve the support services via training of all relevant professions (the police, social workers, physicians, psychologists, etc.). Insufficient knowledge of these professionals on violence against women results in situations when, instead of support, women face rejection and misunderstanding.

Adequate prevention is also crucial for tackling the issue of violence effectively. Prevention must be accompanied by active and responsible participation of the media. However, the media often depict violence against women insensitively and spread a lot of gender stereotypes about masculinity and feminity. Therefore, the NGOs propose legislative changes in order that the media have an obligation to promote zero tolerance of violence and gender equality principles.

All of the NGOs' comments reflect the international standards for protection of women’s human rights and the general human rights principles. Even though the NGOs submitted their proposals to the Ministry in the early stages of drafting this strategic document, most of them have not been taken into consideration. The NGOs believe that, by accepting the comments, the Ministry will send a message to the public that it takes its responsibilities in the field of gender equality and women’s human rights seriously and that it acknowledges the experience and expertise of women’s NGOs in this field.

Compiled from: Activists Criticise the New VAW National Action Plan, 20^th March 2009, SME, http://www.sme.sk/c/4357961/aktivistky-a-aktivisti-kritizuju-tomanovej-plan-o-nasili-na-zenach.html