Experts of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women Commend the Czech Republic on its Revised Rape Law, Ask about Rulings on Sexual Violence Cases and Women’s Political Representation
The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women today concluded its consideration of the seventh periodic report of the Czech Republic, with Committee Experts welcoming the revision of the State’s rape legislation, and raising questions about the high use of suspended and conditional sentences in sexual violence cases and measures to address low levels of representation of women in politics.
One Committee Expert welcomed that last year, the State party revised its legal definition of rape to address non-consensual sexual intercourse.
Another Expert raised concerns about the high use of suspended and conditional sentences in cases of domestic violence and sexual violence. In one case, a man who raped his daughter-in-law for three years was issued a suspended sentence. How would the State party address this issue and increase the availability of services for victims of violence?
A Committee Expert said women’s representation in the Czech executive branch was currently at eight per cent, and representation rates in national and regional assemblies were typically low. What measures were in place to ensure sustainable gender balance in leadership positions?
Introducing the report, Radan Šafařík, Director, Gender Equality Department, Government Office of the Czech Republic and head of the delegation, said the Czech Republic had recently undertaken several specific and ambitious measures to improve women’s rights and gender equality. The State remained determined to comply with its commitments under the Convention and be an active player in promoting women’s rights at the national and international level.
Mr. Šafařík said the Government placed a high priority on the elimination of gender-based violence. It approved a 2025 amendment to the Criminal Code which redefined the crime of rape, explicitly covering all situations where sexual intercourse occurred against the victim's will. In July 2025, a new act on domestic violence came into effect; it strengthened the rights of victims in civil and misdemeanour proceedings. Furthermore, in 2024, a criminal court specialisation was introduced at district, regional and high courts, particularly in relation to sexual violence.
The delegation added that, following the rape case decision mentioned by the Committee, a draft law was adopted that strengthened education plans for judges and increased funding for non-governmental organizations and Government organizations working to protect and support violence victims. The Czech Republic had 17 intervention centres that provided information and counselling to victims of violence, and there were also telephone crisis lines and 210 shelters for victims.
There were weaknesses in the Czech Republic’s measures promoting women’s political participation, the delegation said. The Government had proposed a measure to introduce 40 per cent quotas for candidate lists for elections to the Chamber of Deputies, but this had not been approved. The Czech Republic was promoting the importance of quotas among the public and would continue to wait for political will to implement quotas.
In closing remarks, Mr. Šafařík thanked the Committee for the dialogue. The dialogue and the Committee’s recommendations would influence national policies related to women’s rights and promote legal and policy changes.
Corinne Dettmeijer-Vermeulen, Committee Vice-Chair and acting Chair for the dialogue, in her concluding remarks, thanked the delegation for the dialogue, which had shed light on the situation of women and girls in the State party. The Committee commended the efforts of the State party and called on it to take further efforts for the benefit of all women and girls in the Czech Republic.
The delegation of the Czech Republic consisted of representatives from the Government Office; Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs; Ministry of Justice; Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Ministry of Interior; Ministry of Health; Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports; and the Permanent Mission of the Czech Republic to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of the Czech Republic at the end of its ninety-second session on 20 February. All documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, can be found on the session’s webpage. Meeting summary releases can be found here. The webcast of the Committee’s public meetings can be accessed via the UN Web TV webpage.
The Committee will next meet at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 12 February to consider the tenth periodic report of El Salvador (CEDAW/C/SLV/10).
Report
The Committee has before it the seventh periodic report of the Czech Republic (CEDAW/C/CZE/7).
Presentation of Report
RADAN ŠAFAŘÍK, Director, Gender Equality Department, Government Office of the Czech Republic and head of the delegation, said the Czech Republic’s framework for combatting discrimination against women and promoting gender equality was firmly embedded in national legislation. Fundamental rights and freedoms were guaranteed under the Constitution, the Charter of Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, and international treaties, with compliance overseen by the Constitutional Court.
Protection against discrimination, including discrimination against women, was an integral part of the legal system. Beyond key provisions in the Penal and Civil Codes, the anti-discrimination act further strengthened safeguards against discrimination, including gender-based discrimination, across major areas of public life. Under the act, harassment, sexual harassment, victimisation, and incitement to discrimination were all recognised as forms of discrimination. Discrimination on the grounds of gender also covered pregnancy, maternity, paternity and sexual identification. The act allowed positive measures to prevent discrimination or address disadvantages affecting particular groups.
As the national equality body, the Ombudsperson assisted victims, conducted research, and raised awareness. Recent legislative developments included the establishment of the Children’s Rights Ombudsperson in July 2025, which was a new independent institution mandated to safeguard and promote the rights of children and to strengthen oversight in areas affecting their wellbeing. Furthermore, the powers of the Ombudsperson had been adjusted to allow for the accreditation of the Ombudsperson as a national human rights institution according to the Paris Principles.
Every new legislation and policy submitted to the Government needed to include gender impact assessments. Further examples of the State’s achievements included the establishment of the gender focal points standard and two action plans on promoting gender equality for the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports and the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Together, these measures promoted the integration of gender equality considerations across all Government activities and provided robust mechanisms for monitoring and evaluation.
The Government placed a high priority on the elimination of gender-based violence. It approved a 2025 amendment to the Criminal Code, which redefined the crime of rape, explicitly covering all situations where sexual intercourse occurred against the victim's will. In July 2025, a new act on domestic violence came into effect; it introduced a unified definition of domestic violence and strengthened the rights of victims in civil and misdemeanour proceedings, extending the length of a restraining order against a violent person from the current 10 to 14 days, and requiring the police to confiscate any weapons from the violent person.
Furthermore, in 2024, a criminal court specialisation was introduced at district, regional and high courts, particularly in relation to sexual violence and crimes involving human trafficking. The gender equality strategy included measures for strengthening the prevention of gender-based and domestic violence, improving accessibility of support services for victims and strengthening the competences of relevant professionals through systematic training and improved interdisciplinary cooperation. The gender equality strategy was complemented by the action plans for the prevention of domestic and gender-based violence, which included legislative reforms, public awareness campaigns, and the enhancement of support services.
The Government had recently undertaken several specific and ambitious measures to improve women’s rights and gender equality. Several challenges remained and the Government planned to continue in its efforts to achieve gender equality and to empower women. It would continue to focus on women facing intersecting and multiple forms of disadvantage. The Czech Republic remained determined to comply with its commitments under the Convention and to remain an active player in promoting women’s rights at the national and international level.
MONIKA ŠAMOVÁ, Head of Unit, Secretariat of the Government Council for Gender Equality, Gender Equality Department, Government Office of the Czeck Republic, said that the Government Council for Equality of Women and Men was established in 2001 and continued to play a major role in setting the gender agenda for the Government. The Chair of the Council was the Prime Minister. The Council had seven committees and working groups: four committees addressed gender-based violence, decision-making, care and social policies, and institutional matters, and three working groups focused on men and gender equality, obstetrics, and Roma women. Currently, work was underway to establish a fifth committee dedicated to gender equality in health.
The Government had adopted the gender equality strategy for the period of 2021–2030 as its second long-term strategic framework for gender equality. Civil sector organizations, including women’s rights organizations, as well as social partners and academia, actively participated in the preparation of the strategy and continued to cooperate on its implementation. This strategy covered eight thematic chapters, namely the areas of work and care, decision-making, safety, health, knowledge, society, external relations, and institutions, reflecting international human rights obligations and an intersectional approach.
The role of men in promoting gender equality was also one of the horizontal principles of the strategy. Each of its thematic chapters included specific indicators to monitor and evaluate progress achieved. Implementation of the strategy was monitored by the Gender Equality Department of the Office of the Government, which prepared an annual report on its implementation. The mid-term review found that 56 measures were successfully implemented and 199 measures were partly implemented.
A key development in efforts to promote gender equality in the labour market was the ongoing transposition of the European Union pay transparency directive, which would strengthen the enforceability of equal pay for work of equal value. Significant changes had also been introduced through the amendment to the Labour Code, effective from June 2025, allowing concurrent employment during parental leave and guaranteeing the right to return to the same position occupied earlier when returning. At the same time, the Government had amended the pension insurance act, increasing old-age pensions by around 24 United States dollars for each child raised by the primary caregiver as of January 2023.
The action plan for equal pay for women and men for the period of 2023–2026 represented the first comprehensive national effort focused on closing the gender pay gap. The limit on a child’s attendance at a pre-school facility while receiving parental allowance had been increased from 92 to 120 hours per month. Currently, there were over 2,000 children’s groups with a total capacity of around 30,000 places. At the same time, measures had been implemented to support part-time employment.
Another key area was women’s political participation. In 2022, the Government Office published a manual with practical tips for political parties to support greater involvement of women in politics. The Government Office also organised regular cross-party networking meetings, allowing women politicians to share experiences and build networks. In the most recent elections to the Chamber of Deputies of the Czech Parliament, held in October 2025, a record 67 women out of 200 Parliamentarians were elected. Notably, the share of elected women exceeded their representation on candidate lists for the first time, largely thanks to preferential votes.
The strategy for Roma equality, inclusion and participation for the period of 2021-2030 included specific measures to support Roma women and promote gender equality. In line with this strategy, the Government established in 2022 the position of the Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs. The strategy’s initiatives aimed to reduce the gender employment gap by promoting Roma children's participation in education. The Gender Equality Government Council also established the working group on issues of Roma women in 2021, which was tasked with identifying the specific impacts of gender inequalities on Roma women and developing recommendations to enhance the representation of Roma women in decision-making or advisory positions at the local level. The State had implemented a mechanism for compensation for survivors of unlawful sterilisation. In June 2025, a legal amendment extended the limit for filing claims for compensation for unlawful sterilisations from three to five years.
The national action plan for the implementation of the United Nations Security Council resolution 1325 had been established for the period of 2026–2030; it focused on strengthening women’s role in the area of peace and security. The plan included concrete actions with clear indicators, timelines, and responsible institutions. It was coordinated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and implemented in cooperation with several ministries, civil society organizations, and the academic sector.
Questions by Committee Experts
GENOVEVA TISHEVA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, said that progress had been achieved on the rights of women and girls in the Czech Republic. The State had stable economic growth, highly educated women, and an active civil society. There had been encouraging results in promoting women’s participation, and legislation on gender-based violence had been improved.
However, there was no definition of multiple discrimination in Czech legislation. The Constitution provided the right to individual complaints, but there had been a very low number of discrimination complaints submitted by women over the reporting period. Could the delegation give examples of court cases that had referenced the Convention? What training on the Convention was provided for members of the judiciary? Why was there a low number of complaints of discrimination by women? Would the State party consider abolishing legal fees for discrimination cases? Could trade unions present anti-discrimination cases to courts? What steps had been taken to promote the ratification of the Istanbul Convention? How would the State party ensure an increase in funding for civil society organizations, including non-earmarked funding and funding for organizations promoting gender equality?
Another Committee Expert said that in 2025, the State party had approved its third national action plan on women, peace and security. The Expert called on the State party to bring the plan into line with the advanced addendum to the Committee’s general recommendation 30, which called on States parties to address threats such as food insecurity, illegal transfers of arms, and extractive industries. How did the plan complement the State party’s foreign cooperation strategy? How was the State party addressing impunity for gender-related crimes in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine?
Did courts apply the Convention directly? How were the Department of Gender Equity and the Ombudsperson funded? How would gender equality strategies keep pace with the new Government’s macroeconomic goals? The Committee welcomed that last year, the State party revised its definition of rape to address non-consensual sexual intercourse.
A Committee Expert commended the gender equality strategy but said that inequalities and barriers persisted regarding women’ opportunities. How effective was the system for assessing the performance of temporary special measures? How many of the gender equality strategy’s measures were temporary special measures? What training was in place for civil servants on the promotion and implementation of temporary special measures? What data collection system existed on temporary special measures? How were temporary special measures increasing the participation of disadvantaged groups of women? What regulatory measures, sanctions and incentives were in place in the private sector to promote the implementation of temporary special measures?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the visibility of the Convention was of high importance for the Government. The Convention and its Optional Protocol had been published in the Czech language, as were general recommendations issued by the Committee. Women did not face obstacles in lodging complaints of discrimination. The court fee for filing a claim of discrimination was 40 euros, and discussions on reducing that fee were planned. Fees could be exempted in certain circumstances and victims could have legal representatives appointed to them by presiding judges. Women could also approach the Czech Bar Association, which provided legal advice and services. The State party was transposing a European Union directive that would allow the Public Defender of Rights to file a lawsuit on behalf of a discriminated person.
In 2024, the specialisation of judges in violence against women and domestic violence was introduced, and all district, regional and high courts now had specialised judges on these topics. The Government had a programme promoting the education of judges. Regular training and information for judges and other judicial officials was provided on sexual violence, gender-based violence, and the case law of the treaty bodies. Trade unions could represent their members or employees in general in court. The Government had submitted a recommendation to Parliament to ratify the Istanbul Convention in 2023; however, it was unfortunately not ratified. Despite this, the Government had implemented many of the Convention’s articles in the act on domestic violence that was approved last year.
The third national action plan on women, peace and security was grounded in the four pillars of the women, peace and security agenda, and introduced new features including expanded gender perspectives, and an expanded focus on conflict and post-conflict contexts and current security challenges. It addressed new threats such as cyber risks, disinformation, and the climate crisis. The plan also focused on promoting women’s participation in decision-making and sought to eliminate gender-based violence and provide care for women survivors, including in Afghanistan, Syria and Ukraine.
The new definition of rape in the Criminal Code implemented in 2025 was based on consent and the principle of “no means no”. It addressed multiple ways for victims to express that they did not consent, as well as cases where victims “froze” or were of a very young age.
A gender impact assessment was conducted for all Government bills. Training was provided to civil servants on conducting this assessment. Ministries collected sex disaggregated data on areas such as employment, education, justice and social policies, and the Government published a statistical yearbook on gender-based violence. There were no mandatory gender quotas for corporate boards or private companies, but a bill transposing the European Union directive on women in boards had been approved by Government in 2024. The Government organised regular meetings with private companies and would continue to discuss the issue of gender balance on company boards. There was one direct measure related to temporary special measures in the gender equality strategy, which provided rules for representation of women in candidate lists for elections.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked how the State party was assessing the impact of the ruling of the administrative court on sexist advertising. What was the State party doing to tackle gender stereotypes? Judicial practices continued to reflect responses that were not in tune with the State’s progressive legislation, with a high use of suspended and conditional sentences for cases of domestic violence and sexual violence. In one case, a man who raped his daughter-in-law for three years was issued a suspended sentence. How would the State party increase the availability of services for victims of violence and their funding? Could the State party provide data on femicides and the groups of women most affected? How was the State party working to improve data gathering in this regard?
The committee in charge of reparations for forced sterilisations provided solely medical reparations and did not include representatives of communities affected by these harmful practices, such as the Roma. How many women had received reparations to date? What measures were in place to guarantee reparation for women with disabilities and institutionalised women?
Another Committee Expert said that the Czech Republic had ratified almost all the United Nations and Council of Europe conventions on transnational crime and the prevention of trafficking. It was also positive that the State had developed a national action plan on trafficking in persons. However, punishments for trafficking could be waived or reduced in certain circumstances, and trafficked women staying in the State illegally were subject to standard deportation regulations. The Ombudsperson reported that the identification of trafficking victims was insufficient. Between 2020 and 2022, women from abroad were frequently hired through deceptive practices to work in factories, poultry farms and hairdressing institutes, and were not given access to social services. Would the State party ratify the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers? Could the delegation present disaggregated data on investigations and prosecutions of trafficking cases? What policies were in place to address cyber trafficking?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the act on advertising prohibited discrimination based on gender. A guide for municipalities on assessing stereotypes in advertising had been developed and was being successfully implemented. A fund had been launched for non-governmental organizations to address gender stereotypes related to care.
There had been cases in which decisions on criminal cases of rape and sexual violence had not been ideal. Following the specific rape case mentioned by the Committee, a draft law was adopted that strengthened education plans for judges and increased funding for non-governmental organizations and Government organizations working to protect and support violence victims.
The Czech Republic had 17 intervention centres that provided information and counselling to victims of violence, and there were telephone crisis lines that offered 24/7 support and counselling. There were also 210 shelters for victims of domestic violence, which provided accommodation and psychosocial support for victims. The State party used two European funds to promote the accessibility of social services for victims.
The Czech Criminal Code did not include femicide as a specific crime but did have the crime of homicide motivated by personal relationships. Last year, the police registered 85 cases of such crimes, and women were victims in around half of these cases.
The Government had approved a legal proposal on trafficking in persons that transposed a European Union directive on trafficking that was amended last year; it would enter into force in July this year. The new law criminalised exploitation of surrogacy, illegal adoption and forced marriage, and included a non-prosecution clause for victims of trafficking. The Czech Republic had taken several steps to implement the current national strategy against trafficking in persons, which had been extended until 2028. A programme for the protection of victims of trafficking had been implemented for more than 20 years in coordination with non-governmental organizations. The State party was preparing a new national strategy on preventing child trafficking. Roundtables on identification and assistance to victims for public officials were organised regularly. The foreign police service and asylum and migration authorities worked to identify victims, and there was a clear referral mechanism in place for support measures for victims, who were issued with temporary residency permits.
The State party had discussed accession to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Migrant Workers but had not considered it necessary, due to the existence of sufficient protections for the target group in national law, European law and other international commitments.
A special mechanism for compensating persons who were unlawfully sterilised between 1966 and 2012 had been launched, which provided a one-off payment of 15,000 United States dollars to victims. The original deadline for submitting claims was January 2025, but this had been extended to January 2027. The Ministry of Health had received 2,820 applications for compensation, of which 1,120 had been approved and around 600 cases were rejected. Reasons for the rejection of claims included when sterilisation took place outside the relevant period or outside of the Czech Republic. The Government Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs monitored the processing of applications and conducted education campaigns on the application process.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert asked if the Czech Republic was considering establishing a body that could conduct a review of failures in State responses to femicides and in coordination of services for victims of gender-based violence.
Another Committee Expert called on the delegation to clarify the legal status of women who had been trafficked. Some 75 per cent of migrants in the Czech Republic were from Ukraine and they required specific support. Could the State party provide data on the number of naturalised women and children? How was the State promoting family reunification for stateless persons? What measures were in place to ensure specialised support for Ukrainian women, particularly to find work? How was the State party ensuring the equality of women in nationality proceedings?
GENOVEVA TISHEVA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, said that up to two-thirds of murder crimes in Europe were of former partners. She called on the State party to develop specific legislation on femicide.
One Committee Expert said that Czech women’s participation rates in high-level decision making and in the foreign service continued to be lower than the European Union average. Women’s representation in the executive branch was currently at eight per cent, and representation rates in national and regional assemblies were typically low. Women held only 26 per cent of major corporate board seats and remained underrepresented in media management. The Committee welcomed the action plan for balanced representation of women and men in decision-making, but its impact had been limited.
What measures were in place to ensure sustainable gender balance in the executive branch, particularly in leadership positions? Would the State party introduce formal legislative quotas? What targets were in place for women’s representation in high-level courts? Did the State party collect data on the prevalence of cyber violence, including against women politicians? How was the State party working to tackle gender stereotypes that limited women’s political participation and improve its data collection on barriers faced by women? The percentage of women ambassadors had not exceeded 15 per cent during the past decade. How was women’s representation in the foreign service being promoted?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Child Death Review Commission was conducting reviews of State responses related to child deaths, and a similar method could also be applied for assessing responses to femicides. The State party was in the process of transposing the European Union directive on violence against women, which addressed femicide. Murders that were motivated by the sex of the victim were considered to be an aggravated offence and carried increased penalties.
The State party was addressing cyber trafficking, which it considered to be a criminal act. Criminal law did not distinguish between offences committed online and offline. The State collected gender disaggregated statistics on trafficking. Last year, it identified 35 potential victims of trafficking, of which 27 were men and the rest were women. All victims received support on an equal basis.
There were weaknesses in the Czech Republic’s measures promoting women’s political participation. The Government had proposed a measure to introduce 40 per cent quotas for candidate lists for elections to the Chamber of Deputies, but this had not been approved. It was promoting the importance of quotas among the public and would continue to wait for political will to implement quotas.
Most judges in the Czech Republic were women, but they were less well represented in high-level courts. The State party was currently implementing a survey that sought to identify barriers to women’s representation in the judiciary. Based on its results, the career advancement system would be adjusted to promote increased representation of women in high-level courts.
Equal representation of women was a priority goal for the Czech foreign service. There was almost exact gender parity among employees of the service, with slightly more women than men. Women held around 43 per cent of managerial positions and 21 per cent of ambassador positions. The percentage of ambassadors had increased by four per cent from 2017. Recent positive developments in the representation of women in the foreign service related to the service’s family policy, which included flexible working hours and the possibility to work from home, childcare groups, and reimbursement of school-related expenses. The service used gender-neutral job titles and gender balanced selection committees.
The State party was preparing legislation for implementing the European Union directive on women on boards, which would implement gender quotas on the boards of private companies.
There was no data on the participation of Roma women in politics, but the State party was developing a mechanism for collecting sex-aggregated ethnic data. In 2022, a woman was appointed as the first Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs. The Government promoted gender balance on the Council for Roma Minority Affairs.
Gender persecution was considered when considering asylum applications. Free legal aid was easily accessible for all asylum seekers. Most Ukrainians in the State party benefited from temporary protection status and could access free legal aid. A high percentage of Ukrainians, including women, in the Czech Republic were employed, although they frequently worked in positions that did not correspond to their qualifications. The Ukrainian Embassy was issuing Ukrainians with various legal documents to ensure that they could work and access services in the Czech Republic without issue.
There was a statelessness recognition procedure in place, which guaranteed identification and a dignified standard of living for persons determined to be stateless. Requests for family reunification by stateless persons were very rare. There was a special act in place that guaranteed that no child remained stateless.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert welcomed progress made in making education more inclusive. What measures were in place to improve teaching on sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and stereotypes? The Committee noted satisfactory measures to promote women and girls’ participation in science, technology, engineering and maths subjects. What was the timetable for implementing these measures? There was a lack of disaggregated data on minority groups’ participation in schools. Would this be collected in future? Was the Czech Republic taking measures to combat discrimination against the Roma in education? What measures were in place to support the education of women and girls with disabilities?
One Committee Expert commended the State party’s recent efforts to improve the availability of childcare for children under three. Some 88 per cent of mothers did not return to work before their child turned three and believed that motherhood negatively affected their career paths. What plans were in place to further increase the availability of affordable childcare for children under three? The Committee was concerned that uptake of parental leave by fathers remained limited, with only 26 per cent of recipients being men and 51 per cent of fathers taking no leave at all. What measures were in place to increase the uptake of paternal leave? The State party had one of the highest gender pay gaps in the European Union and the action plan for equality of men and women in the labour sector lacked binding enforcement measures. Would the State party implement mandatory equal pay audits or penalties for non-compliance?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said gender equality was embedded in the education act. The Government promoted an inclusive learning environment and was tackling stereotypes in education. It was conducting evaluations of higher education institutions that had a gender dimension. Some universities had launched campaigns that encouraged female candidates to study science, technology, engineering and maths fields. Higher education was largely self-governed, and the Ministry of Education could not mandate the implementation of quotas.
The pre-primary and primary education curricula had recently been revised; they now strongly addressed gender equality and the fight against gender stereotypes. Textbooks needed to follow principles of gender equality and show diverse roles carried out by men and women. To address menstrual poverty, the Government had placed free menstrual products for pupils in all primary and secondary schools. It had also made a call for proposals from non-governmental organizations for campaigns on non-stereotypical choices of fields of study.
The State was committed to implementing the action plan on improving the position of the Roma, which included measures promoting their participation in education. The revised education act of 2025 included measures supporting systematic desegregation. Meetings were held with representatives of the Roma community to identify their barriers to accessing preschool education and an action plan to address these barriers had been developed.
The family policy strategy for 2021 to 2030 included measures to reconcile family and working life. The State party had been working to expand quality and affordable preschool care for children under three; it currently had over 2,000 childcare groups with 30,000 places. Municipalities were obliged to provide care for children from age three. A framework for monitoring early childhood education had been developed in 2025.
Around 77 per cent of the Czech population believed that both parents needed to be responsible for taking care of children. However, in practice, most fathers did not take up parental leave for economic reasons, as women still earned 18 per cent less than men. The Government was calling on non-governmental organizations to propose campaigns that would motivate fathers to take parental leave and engage more in care. In 2024, there had been an increase in the parental allowance.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert congratulated the State party on progress in its health policy. However, Roma and migrant women continued to face barriers to accessing health services due to stereotypes and cultural issues. What was the State party doing to ensure fair access to health services for vulnerable persons? How was it addressing mental health issues that affected women and children? There were reports of women being subjected to non-consensual procedures during delivery, and of practices of separating newborns from their mothers. What measures were in place to address these matters and provide reparation to victims of obstetric violence?
Was the State party planning to allow same-sex couples to access assisted reproduction? Currently, adolescent girls aged 16 and over needed to notify their legal representatives when they were seeking abortions. Would the State party remove this requirement? Was the State party envisaging measures to investigate cases of forced sterilisation from 2012 onwards? What safeguards were in place to ensure that women with disabilities could provide free, prior and informed consent for invasive surgeries, with supported decision making?
Another Committee Expert welcomed the measure of advancing State payments of alimony when parents were defaulting, and the 30 per cent increase in the child allowance, which benefitted 15,000 families. What measures were in place to ensure timely adoption of the capital market business act amendment on gender balance in corporate governance? What measures would the State party take to address predatory marketing of breast milk substitutes? How did it collect data regarding gender differences in access to loans? Women over 65 years old faced a three times higher poverty risk than men. What measures were in place to address the 11.4 per cent gender pension gap? More than 60 per cent of economically inactive Roma women cited care responsibilities as their primary economic barrier. How was this being addressed? How was the State party addressing the underrepresentation of women in the leadership of sports federations and barriers to women and girls’ participation in sports like bobsleigh, cycling and rowing?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said a 2011 law strengthened patients’ rights and the supervisory powers of inspection bodies in the healthcare sector. Access to affordable healthcare was ensured through the public healthcare system. Healthcare was provided on an equal basis without discrimination. Special attention was paid to ensuring the availability of primary care and maternal and childcare in regional areas. All residents of the Czech Republic had equal access to healthcare, including Roma persons, women with disabilities and migrants.
The State party implemented a nationwide baby friendly hospital strategy in 2024 that aimed to improve care for mothers and newborns, emphasising uninterrupted contact between mothers and children immediately after birth. The State was working to make breastfeeding friendly healthcare the standard across the country. As of January this year, three visits to new mothers by midwives were being fully compensated by insurance companies.
The State party had organised seminars at schools on sexual and reproductive health; around 10,000 pupils had attended over the last four years. The Government was committed to supporting children’s mental health and was investing in mental health facilities. It was considering measures to ban access to social media for people younger than 15 years old.
Transposing the European Union directive on women on boards of private companies was one of the priorities of the current Government; new legislation in this regard would be presented to parliament in the coming weeks.
The Czech pension system was highly redistributive and based on solidarity. However, the gender pension gap persisted, affected by earlier retirement ages for women. Retirement ages would be made the same for men and women from 2030. In 2018, indexation of lower pensions was increased and in 2023, a bonus was paid to pensions for every child raised. These measures had helped to decrease the gender pension gap from 18 per cent in 2014 to 11 per cent in 2024.
The Czech Olympic Committee had adopted its first action plan for equal opportunities for men and women in 2024, which included measures promoting better representation of women in decision-making roles in sports bodies.
The Czech Republic regulated the marketing of breast milk substitutes primarily based on the International Code of Marketing of Breast Milk Substitutes. There were ongoing discussions on legislative changes to further align State laws with the International Code.
The State party was implementing measures to further expand childcare groups, including privately-run groups. Municipalities were obliged to provide childcare for all three-year-old children and needed to pay fines when they did not do so.
Questions by Committee Experts
A Committee Expert said there were regional inequalities in access to healthcare, schools and transportation. How was the State party working to counter these? Was there an overarching strategy on regionality? Did the State party collect data on the population of the Roma and was it addressing discrimination faced by lesbian, bisexual, and transgender Roma women? How did the State party remove administrative barriers to gender recognition? The Czech Republic was one of the fastest warming countries on the planet. Had the section of the Environment Ministry that dealt with climate change been abolished?
Another Committee Expert said that Czech law formally recognised equal rights for women and men in marriage and the State had made progress in legal reform. However, there were judicial exceptions that allowed minors to marry in certain circumstances; did the State party plan to remove these? In custody decisions, what criteria were used to ensure the best interests of the child? The legal framework allowed for same-sex partnerships to be registered, but did not allow for joint ownership or adoption of children by such partnerships. How would the State party correct these inequalities and ensure full legal protection for children in families with same-sex couples? How was the State party guaranteeing parental rights for persons with disabilities?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the Government was currently preparing a new national regional plan that would start in 2028, which would regulate the use of European Union funds for regional strengthening. The Just Transition Fund provided funding support to the governments of regions where coal mining operations had been shut down. These funds were used to bolster training for former coal miners and their families and support the transition to green jobs. A programme was in place to train politicians in regional areas on coordinating planning of environmental projects with indigenous groups.
The Ministry of Health had set up a programme that subsidised the training of healthcare professionals in regional areas. The homecare development programme supported patients in remote areas to receive care in their homes from multidisciplinary mobile health teams. The new Government was prioritising digitisation of healthcare, which would increase accessibility in remote areas.
The Committee for the Implementation of the Strategy for Roma Integration monitored the strategy’s implementation and collected related data. An external evaluation of the strategy was also planned. The strategy placed strong emphasis on collecting data on the Roma. The Ministry of Justice had developed a methodology for sex-disaggregated ethnic data collection.
The Constitutional Court had called on the Parliament to adopt rules on self-identification procedures for gender recognition in 2024, but this had not been done. Currently, gender recognition was carried out only through medical diagnosis, based on free, prior and informed consent.
The decision to shut down the section of the Environment Ministry that dealt with climate change was a political one; it had not changed the State party’s strategic framework for tackling climate change or any policies in this regard.
Judges needed to consider the best interests of the child and assess whether there had been domestic violence when ruling on custody cases. As of last year, there was no requirement to undertake mediation in divorce proceedings when there was evidence of domestic violence.
Courts only authorised marriages of minors in exceptional circumstances; they were obliged to act in the best interests of the child in all cases.
A 2025 amendment to the Civil Code conferred all rights applied in marriages to partnerships between same-sex couples. The only exception was the rule for adoption of children, but same-sex couples could still adopt children by following certain steps.
The national action plan on equal opportunities for persons with disabilities for 2026 to 2030 was currently being drafted. It would include measures to completely abolish restrictions of legal capacity with regards to the right to enter a marriage and parental responsibilities. There was no automatic restriction of persons with disabilities entering into marriages or having parental responsibilities.
Questions by Committee Experts
GENOVEVA TISHEVA, Committee Expert and Rapporteur for the Czech Republic, asked if the State party had developed a new plan to address dementia and a plan to address Alzheimer’s disease among women.
A Committee Expert asked whether same-sex couples could adopt children as a couple. Had the State party considered the recommendations of the Committee when developing regulations on custody decisions after divorces caused by domestic violence?
Another Committee Expert commended the State party on signing the Cybercrime Convention in Hanoi in 2025 and called on it to ratify this Convention.
Concluding Remarks
RADAN ŠAFAŘÍK, Director, Gender Equality Department, Government Office of the Czech Republic and head of the delegation, thanked the Committee for the dialogue. The dialogue and the Committee’s recommendations would influence national policies related to women’s rights and promote legal and policy changes.
CORINNE DETTMEIJER-VERMEULEN, Committee Vice-Chair, thanked the delegation for the dialogue, which had shed light on the situation of women and girls in the State party. The Committee commended the efforts of the State party and called on it to take further efforts for the benefit of all women and girls in the Czech Republic. The Committee looked forward to receiving the State party’s next periodic report.
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CEDAW26.009E