Upon International Women’s Day celebrated on 8 March, Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina emphasises that it is high time that we do away with historically rooted stereotypes regarding the role of women in society and finally move from declarative statements to actions and do everything in our power for the equal role of women in society. “The still unjust and unequal position of women is in its worst light reflected in the indecently low pensions of older women. To decrease inequalities based on gender, numerous measures need to be taken, while raising awareness about women’s rights and gender equality must start in early childhood and continue within life-long learning. Only a society in which awareness about gender equality is on a high level can decrease one of the most frequent violations of rights, that is violence against women,” says Ombudsman Svetina.

Everyone in society must have zero tolerance for all forms of violence against women. “Much of the violence unfortunately still remains hidden from the eyes of the public, while victims fear reporting the perpetrators due to the lack of an effective system of victim protection. We at the Ombudsman have been warning those responsible for years that for the prevention of violence, the support for victims after they report violence and in subsequent procedures is crucial. Also important is the continuous training of employees in bodies competent for reporting and punishing violence so that their actions can be professional, timely, and compassionate. Competent institutions should in particular investigate every case of femicide in Slovenia, with the purpose to adopt special measures for its prevention,” stresses the Human Rights Ombudsman.

We must be aware that the previously acquired rights of women are not something that can be taken for granted, but need to be constantly strived and fought for. “In the light of equalising the possibilities and increased inclusion of women in everyday life, it is our common responsibility to encourage change that changes the relations of power in the direction of equality and the elimination of stereotypes and prejudice about social roles. We call on the competent decision-makers to remove the reservations Slovenia made to the Istanbul Convention of the Council of Europe on the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence as well as the fight against them as soon as possible,” adds Human Rights Ombudsman Peter Svetina.