List of issues and questions in relation to the seventh periodic report of Czechia *

Visibility of the Convention, the Optional Protocol thereto and the Committee’s general recommendations

1.Please indicate the measures in place to raise awareness among the general public and women of the rights of women under the Convention, the communications and inquiry procedures provided under the Optional Protocol and the Committee’s general recommendations. Please also indicate what steps the State party has taken, or is taking, to ensure that the Convention, the Optional Protocol and the Committee’s general recommendations are made an integral part of legal education and training of law enforcement, judges, lawyers and prosecutors.

Women’s rights and gender equality in relation to the coronavirus disease pandemic, recovery efforts and global crises

2.In line with the guidance note on the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and COVID-19, please describe efforts made and mechanisms put in place to respond to the long-term impact of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic after the termination of the Working Group on the Gender Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, focusing on the disproportionate effects experienced by disadvantaged and marginalized groups, such as Roma women (para. 21). Please also provide information on measures taken to ensure the equal and meaningful participation of women in these processes and ensure such crises will not lead to a reversal of progress made in the protection and promotion of women’s rights.

Women and peace and security

3.In line with general recommendation No. 30 (2013) on women in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations, please provide information on the impact and the measures taken to achieve the objectives outlined in the National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (2021–2025), including details on the budget allocated and engagement with civil society for its effective implementation and evaluation (paras. 39–43).

Legislative framework and definition of discrimination against women

4.Please elaborate on the legislative framework on discrimination against women. Please also provide information on steps taken to adopt a definition of gender discrimination that encompasses direct and indirect discrimination in the public and private spheres, as well as intersecting forms of discrimination, in accordance with articles 1 and 2 of the Convention.

Access to justice

5.Please provide disaggregated information on the number of discrimination cases filed by women in the past four years, the sentences imposed on perpetrators and the reparations provided to victims. Please provide updated information on additional steps taken, beyond expanding exemptions for court fees in cases related to compensation for persons subjected to unlawful sterilization, to ensure that all women without sufficient means be provided with inclusive and accessible quality legal aid in anti-discrimination proceedings. Please also provide data on the number of applications by women for exemptions from court fees in anti-discrimination cases, as well as on the number of exemptions granted (paras. 33–35).

National machinery for the advancement of women

6.Please provide information on the measures taken and action plans adopted under the Gender Equality Strategy 2021–2030, and the outcomes achieved so far in the eight thematic areas (para. 14). Please provide detailed information on the steps taken to ensure the full implementation of the Standard of the Position of Ministerial Coordinators for Gender Equality, given that compliance with the Standard is not enforceable, as well as on the existing ministerial coordinators, including their specific mandates and reporting lines (para. 26). Please also provide updated information on the steps taken to increase the human, technical and financial resources of the Gender Equality Unit, particularly through allocating specifically earmarked funding from the State party’s regular budget.

7.Please elaborate on the mechanisms in place for ensuring accountability for and monitoring the implementation of laws and policies on women’s rights and gender equality. Please provide updated information on the preparation of a revised Gender Audit Standard (para. 27). Please also provide information on the adoption and implementation of recommendations from the three analyses of gender impact assessments and the use of the Gender Impact Assessment Methodology for Materials Presented to the Government, as well as its outcomes (para. 28).

National human rights institution

8.Please provide information on the efforts undertaken to strengthen the mandate of the Ombudsperson, including in relation to the protection and promotion of women’s human rights, to facilitate its accreditation as a National Human Rights Institution in compliance with the Principles relating to the Status of National Human Rights Institutions (Paris Principles), General Assembly resolution 48/134. In addition, please provide details on the human, technical and financial resources allocated to the Ombudsperson to ensure its effective functioning.

Temporary special measures

9.Please provide information on any temporary special measures, including quotas, that have been implemented or are envisaged in any areas under the Convention in which women are underrepresented or disadvantaged, in addition to the 40 per cent gender representation quota in decision-making positions under the +1 Strategy (para. 58). Please indicate if the State party plans to amend the Anti‑Discrimination Act and other relevant legislation to include temporary special measures aimed at accelerating the achievement of substantive equality of women and men in political and public life. Please also elaborate on the efforts made to raise awareness among parliamentarians, government officials, employers and the general public about the necessity and time-bound nature of temporary special measures.

Gender stereotypes

10.Please provide additional information on efforts made to address persistent and deep-rooted gender stereotypes that perpetuate discrimination against women, including intersecting forms of discrimination against women based on age, disability, migrant status or other grounds. In addition, please describe the results achieved by the “This is Equality!” media campaign and any other targeted awareness-raising and education initiatives aimed at promoting equal sharing of domestic and family responsibilities between women and men and their impact on employers (para. 65). Please indicate the steps taken to adopt comprehensive legislation against sexist or discriminatory advertisements and stereotypical portrayals of women in the media, including social media.

Gender-based violence against women

11.Please provide information on:

(a)The number of complaints, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sentences imposed, over the past four years, in cases of gender-based violence against women, disaggregated by the age of the victim, the type of violence and the relationship between the victim and the perpetrator;

(b)The steps taken to enhance prevention of, protection from and redress for gender-based violence against women, in particular sexual violence, against Roma women and girls, as well as any research conducted into the root causes of gender-based violence against them;

(c)Updated information on the draft amendment to the Criminal Code submitted by the Minister of Justice, which seeks to introduce a consent-based definition of rape, and steps taken to facilitate the adoption of the aforementioned draft amendment (para. 95);

(d)Additional and updated information on capacity-building for the judiciary and law enforcement officers on gender-sensitive investigations in cases of gender-based violence against women and details on the numbers of officers trained, their ranks and affiliations;

(e)Situation of refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls without temporary protection, in particular refugees from Ukraine, and specific measures taken to protect them from all forms of violence.

12.Please provide information on the progress made in amending Law No. 108/2006 Coll., on Social Services to enhance specialized services for victims of domestic and other forms of gender-based violence against women and their children (para. 76). In addition, please provide updated information on the implementation and impact of the “Family and Protection of Children’s rights” grant programme, the “Development of Services for Victims of Crime” grant programme and the “Prevention of Socially Pathological Phenomena” grant programme, and on their funding (paras. 78–80). Please describe the role of civil society organizations in delivering victim support services.

13.Please provide information on existing legislation addressing sexual harassment in public spaces. In the light of the findings of the sociological research “Incidence of Sexual Harassment on Public Transport”, which revealed high levels of sexual harassment, please provide information on the incidence of sexual harassment in other settings, such as universities and workplaces, as well as the measures taken to address this issue (para. 96).

Trafficking in women and girls and exploitation of prostitution

14.In the light of the Committee’s general recommendation No. 38 (2020) on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration, please provide information on:

(a)The measures in place to combat trafficking in persons in the State party, including preventive measures specifically targeting Roma women and girls, refugees, asylum-seeking and migrant women, and to ensure the early identification and referral to support services of victims of trafficking, including at borders;

(b)Capacity-building for law enforcement, judicial officers and social workers on identification and investigation, and on victim-centred approach;

(c)The policies developed in accordance with the European Parliament resolution of 14 September 2023 on the regulation of prostitution and its impact, as well as exit programmes provided to women who wish to leave prostitution;

(d)The number of reported cases, investigations, prosecutions, convictions and sentences imposed on perpetrators in trafficking cases, disaggregated by gender, age, ethnicity and country of origin of victims.

Participation in political and public life

15.Please provide updated information on the representation, in particular at decision-making levels, of women from the State party in: (a) the European Parliament; (para. 121); (b) the Chamber of Deputies (paras. 115–117); (c) the Senate of the Parliament (para. 118–120); (d) public office at the municipal levels, in particular in big cities (paras. 122 and 123); (e) the public administration (paras. 127–130); (f) the judiciary (para. 131); (g) the management of companies (paras. 132 and 134); as well as on (h) women from disadvantaged and marginalized groups, such as Roma women, in political and public life. Please provide updated information on specific measures, such as plans to amend the electoral law, in accordance with the Committee’s general recommendation No. 40 (2024) on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, in order to increase the representation of women, including Roma women, in political and public life, and on any incentives and the penalties for non-compliance.

Education

16.Please provide information on the following:

(a)Strategies to encourage women and girls to choose non-traditional fields of education and career paths, including science, technology, engineering, mathematics and information and communication technology;

(b)Disaggregated data on enrolment and dropout rates among Roma, refugee, asylum-seeking and migrant girls at the primary and secondary levels of education and on their enrolment in higher education;

(c)Measures to address gender stereotypes, including intersectional stereotypes, in curriculum and text books, as well as among educators;

(d)Steps taken to ensure access to inclusive education for girls with disabilities and other disadvantaged groups of girls, including refugee children from Ukraine, and to prevent them from dropping out;

(e)Steps taken to address gender segregation across teaching disciplines and efforts made to increase women’s representation in decision-making positions in the education system, including among professors and associate professors (paras. 151 and 152).

Employment

17.Please provide updated information on the gender pay gap and gender pension gap in the State party and on the measures taken to reduce and ultimately close these gaps (paras. 164 and 168). Please also elaborate on the progress made in strengthening labour inspectorates and the sanctions imposed on companies that fail to comply with the prohibition of sex-based discrimination in employment, as outlined in the Anti-Discrimination Act and the Labour Code (para. 167). Please provide further details on the measures taken to eliminate the discriminatory practice of abolishing systematized positions that are vacant owing to maternity or parental leave, in line with the Ombudsperson’s Collection of Opinions No. 20 on Discrimination (para. 173), and information on quality childcare facilities at workplaces, especially for children under three years old.

18.Please provide updated information on employment rates among women working on a part-time basis, women with disabilities, Roma women and women migrant workers. Please provide information on efforts made to eliminate horizontal and vertical segregation in the labour market and to promote women’s representation in managerial positions and in professional chambers and unions (para. 175).

Health

19.Please provide information on measures undertaken to ensure access to comprehensive, accessible and free or affordable healthcare services throughout the State party, including in rural and remote areas. Please provide information on the efforts made to adopt a law on the rights of patients, including women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, and on measures to support breastfeeding of women who wish to breastfeed in the State party. Please also provide updated information on the pilot project for midwifery care inclusion in the public health insurance system under the supervision of maternity hospitals’ medical personal.

20.Please provide information on the measures taken to review the three-year limit on the statute of limitations for bringing compensation claims in cases of coercive or non-consensual sterilizations, with a view to extending it and, and as a minimum, ensuring that the time limit begins from the time of discovery of the real significance and all consequences of the sterilization by the victim rather than the time of the sterilization. Please provide updated information on the implementation of Law No. 297/2021 Coll., on the Provision of a Lump Sum of Money to Persons Sterilized in Violation of the Law, as well as on the number of applications and compensation granted (para. 193). Please also provide information on measures taken to ensure an effective and fair compensation process.

Economic empowerment of women

21.Please provide information on the social benefits, allowances, pensions and social housing and other measures in place to reduce women’s risk of poverty, along with their impacts. Please also indicate the measures taken to address the economic needs of single-parent households headed by women, older women and Roma women. Please also provide information on any plans to amend the State party’s legal framework to enforce child maintenance and alimony payments in adequate amounts.

Ukrainian refugee and other refugee and asylum-seeking women and girls

22.Considering that the State party hosts one of the largest populations of Ukrainian refugees, with women and girls comprising a significant portion, and receives an additional 7,000 to 8,000 new arrivals each month, please provide information on the number of Ukrainian refugee women and girls who have obtained temporary protections. Please also provide information on measures taken to lift restrictions on emergency housing, which have left many refugees in financial distress and without stable accommodation. In addition, please provide information on steps taken to ensure that Ukrainian refugee women have stable opportunities to earn a livelihood.

Marriage and family relations

23.Please provide information on measures taken to repeal articles 673 and 865 (2) of the Civil Code and to ensure that women with disabilities can exercise their right to marriage, parental rights and the right to adopt children in accordance to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Please also provide information on efforts made to amend the State party’s legislation to recognize de facto unions to ensure the equal rights and responsibilities of both partners upon the dissolution of such unions.