Czech govt regrets Romany women's unlawful sterilisation

Health facilities should be sure that women gave their informed consent with sterilisation, he said.

The Human Rights League reacted saying a mere regret is insufficient. It demands financial compensation for the women.

The Czech Republic does not keep statistics on the number of women harmed by sterilisation.

Some activists say tens of Romany women have undergone sterilisation in the Ostrava, north Moravia, vicinity.

The issue started to be talked about in the autumn of 2004 when European Roma Rights Centre said it suspects forced sterilisations were performed in the Czech Republic.

Czech Ombudsman Otakar Motejl has long paid attention to the issue. Gradually some 80 women, mainly Romanies, addressed their complaints to him.

"The government does not apologise to the women because it refuses to shoulder responsibility for individual mistakes that it by no means initiated," government human rights commissioner Jan Litomisky told CTK.

He said individual doctors who performed the sterilisations are responsible for them.

Litomisky said the government´s expression of regret will probably not help the women concerned get compensation that many of them seek at court.

Most of the cases occurred several years ago. According to courts, they are usually statute barred after three years even if law was broken.

Autor: ČTK
www.ctk.cz