World News for Students of English

11-09-2025 07:00

From the 1990s until the early 2000s, hundreds of Roma women in Slovakia were forcibly sterilized without their consent, often immediately after childbirth.

For the Roma culture, large families are a symbol of wealth and happiness, so this practice had devastating consequences. Many women lost the chance to have more children and suffered broken relationships, prejudice, and shame. Survivors like Veronica Duzdova and Zlatica Kalejova have shared their stories, describing how they only discovered the sterilization years later.

Today, women and activists are fighting for justice. Their organization, based in Košice, offers support and legal help. Access to medical records has been a key obstacle, but new laws now allow evidence collection. Over 140 women in two regions alone were sterilized against their will.

The Slovak government has apologized and is considering a bill to provide compensation, though public opinion remains divided. Survivors hope this painful chapter will finally close, recognizing their human rights and dignity.

Difficult words: consent (permission to do something), prejudice (unfair negative opinion about people), dignity (feeling of respect for oneself).

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