| The State Department web site below is a permanent electronic archive of information released prior to January 20, 2001. Please see www.state.gov for material released since President George W. Bush took office on that date. This site is not updated so external links may no longer function. Contact us with any questions about finding information. NOTE: External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views contained therein. |
TITLE: SLOVAK REPUBLIC HUMAN RIGHTS PRACTICES, 1993
DATE: JANUARY 31, 1994
AUTHOR: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
SLOVAK REPUBLIC
The Slovak Republic became an independent state on January 1,
1993, following the dissolution of the Czech and Slovak Federal
Republic (CSFR). The Slovak Constitution, which went into
effect on October 1, 1992, provides for a multiparty,
multiethnic parliamentary democracy. Slovakia chose to carry
over the entire body of CSFR domestic legislation and
international treaty obligations, which gradually are being
renewed or updated. The Movement for a Democratic Slovakia
(HZDS), which won a plurality in the June 1992 elections,
formed a coalition with the Slovak National Party (SNS), giving
them a majority in Parliament. When the SNS left the coalition
in March, Prime Minister Vladimir Meciar and the HZDS continued
in office, governing as a minority party until November when
the coalition was renewed.
Prior to its dissolution, the CSFR had dismantled the
repressive security apparatus of pre-1989 Czechoslovakia. The
Slovak Information Service is responsible for all security and
intelligence activities in Slovakia. A parliamentary
commission headed by the president of Slovakia's National
Council (parliament) oversees the service. During 1993 there
were no reports indicating human rights abuses by the Slovak
Information Service or the military security apparatus of the
Slovak Government. There was one report of two possible
extrajudicial killings by a policeman (see Section 1.a.).
Economic reform, initiated in 1990 in the former CSFR,
continued in Slovakia in 1993 at a slower pace. With the
disruption of established commercial relationships caused by
the dissolution of the CSFR and the collapse of former Warsaw
Pact markets, Slovakia's gross domestic product fell,
unemployment rose, and many enterprises became insolvent.
Although small-scale privatization was nearly completed, the
process of privatizing larger enterprises slowed amidst
cumbersome bureaucratic procedures and political struggles.
Nevertheless, Slovakia succeeded in keeping inflation
manageable, rebuilding its foreign currency reserves,
attracting new Western investors, and limiting its budget
deficit.
Freedom of peaceful assembly, association, and religion are
widely respected. Still, some human rights problems remain.
Societal discrimination against Romanies remained a serious
problem, as evidenced by a local ordinance discriminating
against the Romany population, which the Constitutional Court
declared illegal. Human rights monitors as well as some
journalists expressed anxiety over the Government's apparent
use of financial and bureaucratic actions to attempt to
exercise control over journalists' activities. Human rights
monitors and some minority representatives criticized
restrictions on schooling in the mother tongue, the posting of
bilingual roadsigns, and the registration of names. The
Government condemned the few instances of "skinhead" attacks
against Jews and desecration of synagogues and cemeteries,
acting promptly to investigate and to redress wrongdoing. Laws
and regulations guarantee equal rights to women and minorities
but are not always respected in practice. Some groups
(notably, Romanies) remained disadvantaged due to a variety of
social, educational, and economic causes which the Government
had only begun to address.
RESPECT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Section 1 Respect for the Integrity of the Person, Including
Freedom from:
a. Political and Other Extrajudicial Killing
There were no reports of political killings. On October 26, a
policeman reportedly instructed a 34-year-old male inhabitant
of a Romany settlement at Klenovec to accompany him to the
police station for questioning about a crime. Instead, the
policeman allegedly took the man to a meadow where he killed
him with a gunshot to the back of his head. The policeman
returned to Klenovec and allegedly repeated the scenario with a
second victim. A third intended victim managed to escape. The
policeman was detained and charged with two counts of murder
and one count of attempted murder.
b. Disappearance
There were no reports of abductions, disappearances, secret
arrests, or clandestine detentions.
c. Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman, or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment
There were no reports of any such practices. Prison conditions
reportedly meet minimum standards.
d. Arbitrary Arrest, Detention, or Exile
The Constitution provides for protection against unlawful or
unreasonable detention. A person accused or suspected of a
crime must be given a hearing within 24 hours and either set
free or remanded to the court. During this time, the detainee
must be offered access to an attorney. If remanded to the
court, the accused is entitled to a hearing within 24 hours, at
which the judge will either set the accused free or issue a
substantive written order placing the accused in custody.
Investigative detention can last up to 2 months, with further
pretrial detention permitted. The total length of pretrial
detention may not exceed 1 year, unless extended in exceptional
circumstances by the Supreme Court when the detainee's pretrial
release could pose a serious danger to society. The law
provides for a court-paid attorney, if needed, and family
visits. No violations of these rules were reported during 1993.
e. Denial of Fair Public Trial
Under the Constitution, the courts are independent, impartial,
and separate from the other branches of government. Judges,
appointed for life, are bound only by law and international
treaties. To help reinforce judicial independence, the
Minister of Justice in 1993 obtained parliamentary approval to
raise judges' salaries to those of parliamentarians.
Parliament appoints judges of the highest court, while the
Minister of Justice appoints others on the recommendations of
their peers. Judges may not be transferred or dismissed
without their consent, and only Parliament may recall them.
During 1993 there were no reports of judges being recalled.
The highest judicial body in Slovakia, the 10-judge
Constitutional Court based in Kosice, reviews the
constitutionality of laws and the decisions of lower level
courts, as well as the decisions of national and local
government bodies. The Court may also address cases in which
the constitutional rights and freedoms of citizens are
involved, provided no other court has addressed them.
Controversy surrounded the naming of the first members to the
Constitutional Court in January. Article 102 of the
Constitution provides that the President's powers include the
naming of "higher state functionaries." Parliament voted to
postpone the naming of the court members until they elected a
new President. Parliament's constitutional committee, however,
decided that justices of the Court did not fit into the
category of "higher state functionaries," even though the Chief
Justice and his deputy did, and the Prime Minister was allowed
to name the members of the Court. This led some human rights
monitors to question whether the Prime Minister used a
constitutional loophole in order to name judges sympathetic to
his own views. The President later designated which of the
members would be Chief Justice and the deputy.
In addition to the Constitutional Court, Slovakia's multitiered
court system consists of a republic-level Supreme Court;
regional courts in Bratislava, Banska Bystrica, and Kosice; and
38 local courts responsible for individual districts.
The Ministry of Justice complained repeatedly of a shortage of
judges which has led to a case backlog, resulting in long
waiting periods for trials and between hearings. In response
to the overload, the courts have begun to specialize, dividing
into commercial, civil, or criminal branches.
Persons charged with criminal offenses are entitled to fair and
open public trials. They have the right to be informed of the
charges against them and of their legal rights and to retain
and consult with counsel sufficiently in advance to prepare a
defense. If a defendant cannot afford a lawyer, one is
provided at government expense. Defendants have the right to
confront witnesses. They enjoy a presumption of innocence and
have the right to refuse to testify against themselves. They
may appeal any judgment against them.
The lustration law of the former CSFR, barring from high public
office persons who previously collaborated with the
Communist-era secret police, is technically still in effect in
Slovakia, though not enforced. Opponents of the law called it
discriminatory and a violation of due process, since decisions
may be based on unverifiable secret police records, and no
mechanism for appeal is available. The law's supporters cited
the need to ban from public office those responsible for abuses
of power and repression during the years of Communist rule. In
January 1994, the Government voted to seek a judgment from the
Constitutional Court on whether the lustration law was
constitutional and consistent with international human rights
treaties.
There were no reports of political prisoners in 1993.
f. Arbitrary Interference with Privacy, Family, Home, or
Correspondence
The Criminal Code requires police to obtain a search warrant in
order to enter a home. Search warrants may be issued by a
chief judge or, during investigation, by a judge upon the
recommendation of the prosecutor. House search is permitted
only if there is a well-founded suspicion that important
evidence or persons accused of criminal activity are present
inside or if there is some other important reason. A search
warrant must be presented before the house search is conducted
or, if some serious circumstance prevented this, within 24
hours after the search.
There were no reports of illegal surveillance of persons or
communications. A government investigation into mail tampering
determined that there were incidents of individual post office
employees searching for money or valuables.
Section 2 Respect for Civil Liberties, Including:
a. Freedom of Speech and Press
The Constitution prohibits censorship and provides for freedom
of information and the right of expression. During 1993
numerous newspapers, magazines, and journals spanning the
entire spectrum of political views were published freely.
Throughout 1993 media criticism of the Government was
widespread, and there were no reports of overt restrictions,
although the Government's financial and bureaucratic maneuvers,
as well as threats of lawsuits against critical journalists and
periodicals, seemed designed to inhibit such criticism. Some
journalists noted that government officials criticized their
work and questioned their loyalty, accusing them of besmirching
the image of Slovakia. Some periodicals that carried articles
criticizing the Prime Minister and the Government apparently
suffered financial retribution. The Ministry of Culture
announced early in the year that it would remove subsidies from
a number of cultural periodicals on the grounds that their
readership was marginal. But the only periodicals to lose
their subsidies were ones such as Kulturny Zivot, Slovenske
Pohlady 93, and Fragment K, which were either critical of the
Government or provided a forum for writers whose views were at
odds with official views.
Danubiaprint, the newsprint manufacturer, continues to be a
government monopoly after its privatization process was halted
in 1992.
Other journalists complained that the government-sponsored
Slovak Republic Press Agency subsidized the newspaper
Republika, which generally adopted positions sympathetic to
government policy, while other publications were allowed to
fail when their subsidies were eliminated.
The January 1993 firing of the editor of the government-owned
newspaper Smena for alleged poor management was perceived as a
punishment for the paper's critical stance. The syndicate of
Slovak journalists condemned the dismissal, and, of
approximately 60 editors and journalists who worked for Smena,
49 quit following the editor's firing. The fired editor and a
group of former Smena staff members went on to found a new and
even more critical daily, Sme, which conducted its activities
unhampered.
On December 23, a Slovak company subordinate to the Transport
and Communications Ministry abruptly canceled, effective
January 31, 1994, its 5-year contract to broadcast Radio Free
Europe (RFE) medium-wave transmissions on three transmitters in
Slovakia. Though the Transport Minister asserted this decision
was merely technical, the move followed months of criticism of
RFE in government-supported media for alleged lack of its
objectivity and antigovernment slant. At year's end, it was
unclear whether the Slovak Government would nullify the
decision.
Slovakia has one government-sponsored television station
broadcasting on two channels; steps were under way for partial
privatization. One of Slovakia's 17 radio stations is
government-sponsored; the remainder are privately owned and
controlled.
Government-appointed boards, made up of nine members elected by
Parliament to 6-year terms, administer Slovak radio and Slovak
television. During 1993 five of the nine members of the
television board resigned. In October Parliament dismissed two
more Slovak Television Council members and appointed seven new
members, five from the HZDS and two from the SNS. Objecting to
the political imbalance this created, another board member
immediately resigned, citing exhaustion. At that time a
competitive process was already under way for selection by a
board of a permanent director, who would then require
parliamentary approval. Some journalists expressed concern
that government proposals to combine the two boards under one
overarching board and to replace their personnel might result
in an unacceptable degree of government control.
When radio journalist Lubomir Lintner was fired from his post
in October 1993, he attributed the move to pressure by members
of the Government.
During 1993 a regular feature of Slovak television was the
Sunday night program "Ten Minutes with the Prime Minister,"
originally envisioned as an interview but criticized by
journalists for its monolog format. In October an opposition
political leader demanded equal air time to ensure a balanced
picture for the viewing public. In the fall, "Ten Minutes" was
replaced by "Press Club," a roundtable discussion and interview
show that includes government and opposition political figures,
as well as journalists from a broad spectrum of media.
During 1993 many journalists were apprehensive of calls by
government officials for "ethical self-regulation," fearing
that in practice this could lead to a form of censorship. In
response, government officials pointed to Council of Europe
resolution 1003 of July 1, 1993, on the ethics of journalism,
which includes a section entitled "Ethics and Self-regulation
in Journalism," suggesting the establishment of self-regulatory
bodies to issue precepts, judge the truthfulness of the media,
and generally serve as a "barometer of credibility" for
citizens.
There is no civil service law protecting jobs after a change in
government. The Government replaced a substantial number of
state, district, and local officials, as well as leaders in the
health and education sectors, with HZDS-sanctioned candidates.
When the staff of one hospital in Rimavska Sobota protested the
replacement of their director, six department heads were
replaced as well. In October the director of the National
Oncology Institute was fired after he pointed out the problems
in the health care system on Slovak television.
Academic freedom is guaranteed by law. Current legislation
grants universities the authority to decide their internal
affairs, including pedagogic and academic orientation and
internal structure. Concern over academic freedom was raised
after the Minister of Education replaced the heads of all
district school boards with his own candidates, although the
law stipulates that local boards are supposed to nominate their
heads. During 1993 conflicts between the Government and the
independent University of Trnava appeared to subside. Private
funding sources have kept the embattled University alive, and
there have been no reports of government attempts to hamper its
activities in 1993.
b. Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and Association
The right of persons to assemble peacefully is protected under
the law. Permits for some public demonstrations are required,
but there were no reports of refusals, nor of police
interference with public demonstrations.
The right of persons to associate freely and to form political
parties and movements is also protected under the law and was
respected in practice during 1993. Some organizations,
including political parties, are required to register, but
there were no reports that this requirement presented an
obstacle to free association.
c. Freedom of Religion
Freedom of religious belief and faith are guaranteed by the
Constitution and by law. Citizens who associate on the basis
of a particular religious persuasion may freely proclaim and
practice their beliefs.
Under existing law, only registered churches and religious
organizations are explicitly granted the right to conduct
institutional activities, such as public worship services and
meetings, educational and cultural activities, publications,
and health and social services. The State provides financial
subsidies only to registered churches and religious
organizations. According to the Ministry of Culture, which has
responsibility for implementing the laws pertaining to
religion, 15 churches are registered. New churches and
religious organizations that seek registration must have 20,000
adult members with permanent residence in Slovakia. (The
numerical membership requirement does not apply to churches or
religious organizations which were active, based either on the
law or on the approval of the State, prior to September 1,
1991, when the current law entered into force.) Slovak
officials indicated that they were aware of deficiencies in
existing regulations and have initiated a review.
On September 29, Parliament passed the "Law on the
Reconciliation of Certain Property Injustices Perpetrated
Against Churches and Religious Organizations," providing for
the restitution of church property confiscated after 1945, and
of Jewish community property confiscated after 1938. Its
provisions were negotiated between the law's drafters and
representatives of the religious communities involved.
d. Freedom of Movement Within the Country, Foreign
Travel, Emigration, and Repatriation
There are no restrictions on the freedom of movement of Slovak
citizens. Former Czechoslovak citizens who emigrated during
the period of Communist rule are free to return for visits and
are able to gain Slovak citizenship if they wish. Passports
are readily available for all wishing to travel abroad.
Refugees and asylum seekers are treated according to
international norms.
Section 3 Respect for Political Rights: The Right of Citizens
to Change Their Government
Citizens have the constitutional right to change their
government through the periodic free election of their
representatives. Citizens over the age of 18 are eligible to
vote, and voting is by secret ballot. On January 19, the
Slovak Parliament passed a law setting the conditions for
determining, acquiring, and losing citizenship in the Slovak
Republic. Any person who had been a citizen of the Slovak
Republic under the Czechoslovak Federation (by birth or
naturalization) automatically became a citizen of the Slovak
Republic after the split. Persons permanently residing in
Slovakia, whose place of birth was in the Czech Republic but
who wished to choose Slovak citizenship, had until the end of
1993 to execute a written declaration to that effect at any
local administrative office.
The Slovak Republic is a functioning multiparty, multiethnic
democracy. Its Constitution reserves certain powers to the
President as Chief of State (elected by the Parliament), but
executive power rests with the Government. Legislative power
is vested in the National Council of the Slovak Republic (NCSR,
the Parliament), and an independent court system exercises
judiciary responsibilities.
The Constitution calls for elections every 4 years. The last
parliamentary elections were held in June 1992, prior to
independence. Election to Parliament is based on proportional
representation within each of the four electoral regions, with
a 5-percent threshold for a party's entry into Parliament (7
percent for a coalition). This could result in a parliamentary
candidate receiving a plurality of votes but not being seated
because his or her party did not achieve the requisite
threshold.
As of October, all ministers of the Government were members of
either the Movement for a Democratic Slovakia (HZDS), the
largest political entity, or the Slovak National Party (SNS).
The HZDS ruled in coalition with the SNS until the latter left
the coalition in March. The HZDS then governed without
commanding a majority in Parliament until the coalition resumed
office in November. New elections are scheduled for 1996, but
in the latter half of 1993 several parties urged early
elections to resolve the parliamentary stalemate caused by the
HZDS's lack of a working majority.
There are no official restrictions on the participation of
women or minorities in politics. Female politicians enjoyed
the same rights and status as their male counterparts. They
were represented in all political parties and served as
deputies in Parliament, and in government ministries. There
are 26 women in the National Council, 17 percent of the total
number of deputies.
Members of all the minorities in the Slovak Republic
participated in the political process, and several were
represented in Parliament, but few reached the highest levels.
The largest minority in Slovakia, ethnic Hungarians,
participated fully in the political process, both in mainstream
political parties and in Hungarian-oriented parties, and is
represented in Parliament. Ethnic Hungarians expressed
concern, however, that rumored government plans to redistrict
Slovakia could dilute their vote by incorporating their
communities into overwhelmingly ethnic Slovak districts. In
December ethnic Hungarians in southern Slovakia called for a
mass meeting to proclaim a self-governing ethnic Hungarian
province. Most government and political leaders called the
meeting legal but warned that attempts to establish a
self-governing province would be unconstitutional. Public
reaction was emotional. The meeting took place on January 8,
1994, in Komarno. The participants stopped short of calling
for a self-governing province but issued a statement on the
status of minorities. The government redistricting plan
submitted to Parliament in early January 1994 was characterized
by representatives of the Council of Europe as meeting European
norms.
Section 4 Governmental Attitude Regarding International and
Nongovernmental Investigation of Alleged Violations
of Human Rights
Representatives of local and international nongovernmental
human rights organizations worked freely in Slovakia, without
government interference. Although the Government refrained
from actually penalizing human rights critics, its
representatives publicly criticized Hungarian politicians who
complained about government policies toward the ethnic
Hungarian minority. The Government's view was that these were
not genuine human rights complaints but politically motivated
demands for advantages over and above international human
rights norms. The ethnic Hungarian activists considered their
demands legitimate and the Government's policies inadequate.
The Government welcomed the February visit to Slovakia of the
High Commissioner on National Minorities of the Conference on
Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE); his subsequent visit
to prepare a report on the Roma; and followup visits by CSCE
experts on minorities. The Government also encouraged the
March visits of CSCE and Council of Europe rapporteur
missions. The Ministry of Justice convened a meeting in
Bratislava of 50 directors of human rights centers in other
countries to obtain their advice for setting up a similar
center in Bratislava, which has been funded and approved for
opening in January 1994.
Section 5 Discrimination Based on Race, Sex, Religion,
Disability, Language, or Social Status
Slovak law prohibits discrimination and guarantees the equality
of all citizens. Health care, education, retirement benefits,
and other social services were provided regardless of race,
sex, religion, disability, language, or social status.
Women
Women in Slovakia are equal under the law. They enjoy the same
property, inheritance, and other legal rights as men, and
receive pay equal to that of male colleagues for the same job.
The largest women's organization in Slovakia is the Democratic
Union of Women of Slovakia, a nonpolitical organization based
on the principles of humanism and democracy. It monitors
observance of the rights of women and their families in light
of internationally accepted documents and the Slovak
Constitution, especially as they affect the social and family
spheres. Other women's organizations, also nonpolitical,
include the Council of Women, the Slovak Women's Center, and
the Federation of Women for World Peace. Despite the lack of
any overt discrimination, the small proportion of women at the
higher echelons of professional and government employment
during 1993 suggested that cultural barriers to their
advancement might exist.
No public debate or explicit government policy statements on
the subject of violence toward women (spousal abuse) or child
abuse were evident in 1993. Spousal abuse, child abuse, and
other violence against women are reported along with other
criminal offenses. Anecdotal evidence suggests that such
cases often go unreported or are reported too late for
effective followup. Once reported, they are subject to the
general investigative procedures under the Criminal Code.
Children
There does not appear to be a comprehensive body of law
specifically addressing the rights of children. Children's
rights and welfare are addressed in part by the Labor Code and
in part by the system of child welfare payments to families
with children. The working age is 18, except for
apprenticeships, which may begin at age 14. There is no
evidence of a pattern of abuse or denial of rights to
children.
National/Racial/Ethnic Minorities
The Slovak Constitution provides minorities the right to
develop their own culture, receive information and education in
their own language, and participate in decisionmaking in
matters affecting them. During 1993 the Government continued
to provide funding for cultural, educational, broadcasting, and
publishing activities for the major ethnic minorities. The
President sponsored a regular roundtable for minority
representatives, including Czechs, Poles, Bulgars, Croats,
Hungarians, Ruthenians, Ukrainians, Germans, and Romanies.
(Jewish leaders declined to be designated officially as an
ethnic minority but participated in the roundtables.) At the
roundtable, minority representatives raised issues such as
legalization of dual citizenship; cultural, educational, and
regional self-government; registration of names; bilingual
place names; territorial division according to ethnicity;
financial support for cultural development; guaranteed
representation in Parliament for nationalities; racial
discrimination; and support for development of religious and
cultural programs. The roundtable chairman asked responsible
government ministers to reply in writing to the issues and
concerns that were raised. While the roundtable has not yet
resulted in institutional changes, it appears to have had some
success in engaging the Government and minorities in a dialog
aimed at constructive solutions to problems.
Slovakia's Hungarian minority, which is the most numerous, is
concentrated primarily in southern Slovakia, with a population
estimated at 570,000. During 1993 ethnic Hungarians
participated successfully at all levels in the political,
economic, and social life of the country. Under Slovakia's
1990 language law, in localities with over 20-percent minority
populations, citizens may conduct their government business in
Hungarian (some Hungarian activists advocated lowering the
threshold to 10 percent). Ethnic Hungarians criticized a
rumored government plan for redistricting, slated to take
effect in 1994, because they feared it would result in
districts with an ethnic Hungarian population of less than 20
percent, thus eliminating the optional use of Hungarian in any
government activity (see also Section 3).
The Government provides elementary and secondary education in
Hungarian. Alternatively, ethnic Hungarian children are free
to attend Slovak-language schools. In 1993 the Government
proposed to provide a "mixed" educational option, under which
ethnic Hungarian students could choose to study the humanities
in their mother tongue and technical subjects in Slovak in
order, it said, to offer ethnic Hungarian students a chance to
achieve a level of proficiency in technical fields that would
enable them to compete more effectively for technical jobs
later in life. Some Hungarian representatives, however,
criticized the proposal as aimed at eroding the Hungarian-
language educational base. They asserted that, as of September
1993, existing university-level pedagogical training in
Hungarian for future teachers at Hungarian schools was
eliminated for levels above grade four, as well as for teachers
of specialized subjects. Statistics on ethnic Hungarian
enrollment and course attendance provided by the Nitra Higher
Pedagogical School, which trains future teachers, demonstrated
this was not the case.
In connection with its acceptance into the Council of Europe,
Slovakia made a commitment to alter its legislation on two
issues of concern to its Hungarian minority, namely, given
names and road signs. Parliament in September passed a law
permitting Hungarians to register names of their own choosing
for their newborn children but retaining a requirement that
feminine names conform to Slovak grammatical forms. Some
Hungarian representatives objected to this provision. The
Government subsequently stated its intention to enforce the
rule in public, Slovak-language discourse (i.e., media), but to
allow the use of Hungarian grammatical forms in registration
documents. The Government also made a commitment to revoke the
law banning bilingual road signs. While the old law was still
in effect, however, officials continued to enforce it, despite
the objections of ethnic Hungarian municipalities. An
unresolved issue debated during the fall was whether the
Hungarian-language road signs would be Hungarian transcriptions
of the current Slovak names or the historical Hungarian-
language names.
Romanies constitute Slovakia's second largest ethnic minority.
Many in this group do not officially declare their ethnicity
because of the social prejudice against them, and the official
census figure of 81,000 is therefore considered low; estimates
range as high as 500,000. Romanies are an economically
disadvantaged group. Though the nation's higher pedagogical
school has a division to train teachers destined for schools
with a high Romany population, during 1993 education was not
available in the Romany language. Romany representatives said
that many Romany children were placed in remedial classes due
to their language problems and that this fact would cast a
stigma on their ability to find jobs later in life. In 1992-93
Parliament initiated a 2-year pilot project for Romany
preschoolers in the town of Kosice to prepare them for
successful entry into the Slovak school system. The project
yielded impressive results in its first year, but its advocates
feared that budgetary constraints might preclude its
continuation or expansion.
Although discrimination is illegal, Romany representatives said
that many employers were reluctant to hire Romanies and that
unemployment among Romanies soared when the Communist-era
practice of universal mandatory employment ended in 1989. In
an effort to diminish discrimination by employers, the human
rights organization Charter 77 in 1993 persuaded government job
agencies to remove from their application forms a question
asking explicitly for the applicant's ethnic background.
There were documented acts of social prejudice against Roma,
such as refusal to serve Romanies in shops or restaurants. In
July Parliament overturned as unconstitutional a discriminatory
law enforcement ordinance passed by the town of Spisske
Podhradie, imposing a curfew and other restrictions on
Romanies. In the wake of that and other incidents, public
calls increased for a broad governmental approach to Romany
problems, encompassing education, employment, health care,
housing, and law enforcement. One obstacle to achieving a
broad solution was that Romanies were represented by a diverse
variety of organizations that often disagree amongst themselves
as to the best approach.
During 1993 an interagency government task force chaired by the
Foreign Minister was charged with preparing a policy paper on
Romanies. The Prime Minister in September voiced
disappointment that dialog with Romanies had broken down,
bemoaned the "catastrophic" health and sanitary conditions in
which Romanies lived, and called for Romanies' reintegration
into the nation's economic life. In the same speech, however,
he also voiced concern over the rapid growth of a population
with so many social problems and advocated restructuring child
welfare subsidies to avoid encouraging the growth of large
welfare-dependent families. This elicited sharp criticism at
home and abroad by many who interpreted his remarks as
anti-Romany and racist.
During 1993 there were a small number of incidents involving
skinhead violence or vandalism against Jewish and some other
religious persons or property. The Government and prominent
Slovak public figures forcefully condemned such acts and moved
promptly to arrest the perpetrators, provide restitution, and
take measures to prevent recurrence.
People with Disabilities
There does not appear to be a body of legislation that directly
addresses the rights of the disabled. Discrimination against
the disabled, however, has not been a subject of significant
policy or public debate. Citizen's groups have started
activities to raise the profile of the issue and to advocate a
more systematic approach.
Section 6 Worker Rights
a. The Right of Association
The Constitution provides for the right to form and join
unions, except in the Slovak armed forces. In 1993 about 65 to
70 percent of the work force was organized. Slovak unions are
independent of the Government and of political parties. There
are no restrictions on the right to strike. During 1993 no
full-fledged strikes occurred, although four demonstrations
were organized.
There were no reported instances of retribution against
strikers or labor leaders, but Slovak law and regulation does
not explicitly prohibit such retribution. There were no
reports of human rights abuses targeted against unions or
workers. Unions in Slovakia are free to form or join
federations or confederations and to affiliate with and
participate in international bodies.
b. The Right to Organize and Bargain Collectively
Collective bargaining is protected by the collective bargaining
law and is freely practiced throughout the country. Wages are
set in free negotiations between unions and employers.
Discrimination by employers against union members and
organizers is prohibited by the law on citizens' associations.
Complaints may be resolved either in collective negotiations or
in court. If found guilty of antiunion discrimination,
employers are required to reinstate workers fired for union
activities.
A 12-hectare free trade zone exists in Kosice. It is required
to comply with the Slovak Labor Code, but to date there has
been no special involvement of the trade unions. A second free
trade zone is planned for Bratislava.
c. Prohibition of Forced or Compulsory Labor
Forced or compulsory labor is prohibited both by the Slovak
Constitution and by the Employment Act. During 1993 there were
no reports of violations. Responsibility for enforcement is
assigned to the labor section of the Ministry of Labor, Social
Affairs, and Family, as well as to district and local labor
offices.
d. Minimum Age for Employment of Children
Slovak law sets the minimum employment age at 14 years of age.
These provisions are enforced by the Office of Labor Safety.
e. Acceptable Conditions of Work
At the start of 1993, the minimum wage provided an adequate
standard of living for an individual worker and, when combined
with special family allowances paid to families with children,
provided an adequate standard of living for a worker and
family. However, during 1993 several factors eroded standards
of living across the board. In June inflation stood at 12
percent and was expected to reach 25 to 30 percent by year's
end. At the same time, government belt-tightening measures
reduced certain social welfare allowances. Enforcement of the
minimum wage is the responsibility of the Ministry of Labor,
Social Affairs, and the Family. Late in 1993, the Government
raised the minimum wage to $74 per month.
The standard workweek mandated by the Labor Code is 42.5 hours,
though collective bargaining agreements have achieved
reductions in some cases. The law requires annual leave of 3
weeks. There is no specifically mandated 24-hour rest period.
Enforcement of health and safety standards are governed by the
Labor Code and effectively enforced by the Office of Labor
Safety. Workers undergo medical screening for hazardous
employment under the supervision of a physician. They have the
right to refuse to perform work in situations where their
health and safety are endangered and may file complaints
against employers in such situations.
[end of document]
Return
to 1993 Human Rights Practices report home page.
Return to DOSFAN
home page.
This is an official U.S. Government source
for information on the WWW. Inclusion of non-U.S. Government links
does not imply endorsement of contents.