A photo exhibition showcasing the victimization of Czech Republic women who were sterilized by Czech hospitals without their consent has recently opened in Sweden. “The World as Seen by Victims of Coercive Sterilization” exhibit, presented by the Group of Women Harmed by Sterilization, opened in conjunction with the Romani Women's Rights Conference that took place December 3 – 4 in Stockholm. The Group’s mission is to present their struggle in seeking justice, as well as to remind the public that they are ordinary women who were violated, physically and emotionally, by these illegal procedures. In effort to seek recognition and justice for these irrevocable injuries members of the Group are suing Czech hospitals. In addition, the UN Committee for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the UN Committee for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) and the UN Human Rights Committee have urged the Czech government to immediately address these violations with improved legislation and compensation to the women who have suffered this injustice. Unfortunately, despite these pleas, the Czech government has not implemented any of these recommendations.
Compiled from: “Czech coercive sterilization survivors go to Sweden,” Gwendolyn Albert, The International Debate Educational Association and Women’s United Nations Report Network, 30 November 2007.