UNITED NATIONS CEDAW Convention on the Elimination Distr. of All Forms of Discrimination GENERAL uiscnmmciiion against Women CEDAW/C/SVN/2 26 April 1999 . ORIGINAL: ENGLISH COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW) CONSIDERATION OF REPORTS SUBMITTED BY STATES PARTIES UNDER ARTICLE 18 OF THE CONVENTION ON THE ELIMINATION OF ALL FORMS OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN Second periodic report of States parties SLOVENIA* * This document has been reproduced without formal editing. 99-21541 (E) 191199 CEDAW/C/SVN/2 English Page 2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION PART I. GENERAL INFORMATION (a) Actual, general, social, economic, political and legal framework within which Slovenia approaches the elimination of discrimination against women in all its forms, as defined in the Convention 7 1. Population 7 2. Economic situation 8 3. Political and administrative systems 9 (b) Legal and other measures adopted to implement the Convention (or their absence), as well as any effects which ratification of the Convention has had on the actual, general, social, economic, political and legal framework in Slovenia since the entry into force of the Convention in Slovenia 12 Effects of ratification of the Convention 12 (c) Institutions or authorities whose task is to ensure that the principle of equality between women and men is complied with in practice, and that remedies are available to women who have suffered discrimination 15 1. Ombudsman 15 2. National mechanisms for equality between women and men 15 (d) Means used to promote and ensure the full development and advancement of women for the purpose of guaranteeing them the exercise and enjoyment of human rights and fundamental freedoms in all fields on the basis of equality with men 17 1. Raising the awareness of the general public regarding equality between women and men 17 2. Policy development consultation 18 3. Campaigns 18 4. Non-governmental organisations , 19 (e) Possibility for the provisions of the Convention to be invoked before, and directly enforced by, the courts, other tribunals or administrative authorities 21 CEDAW/C/SVN/2 English Page 3 CONTENTS (continued) Page PART II. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE PROVISIONS OF INDIVIDUAL ARTICLES OF THE CONVENTION 22 ARTICLE 1. DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN 22 ARTICLES 2 AND 3. MEASURES FOR ENSURING THE EQUALITY BETWEEN WOMEN AND MEN 23 1. Constitutional and legislative provisions 23 2. Violation of the principle of equality 23 3. Harmonization of legislation with the legal acts of the European Union 23 4. Law on equal opportunities and the equal treatment of women and men 23 5. Protection of women against any act of discrimination 24 6. Measures for ensuring the full development and improvement of the position of women 24 ARTICLE 4. PROMOTION OF EQUALITY THROUGH TEMPORARY SPECIAL MEASURES . 26 ARTICLE 5. ELIMINATION OF PREJUDICE AND STEREOTYPES 27 1. Family life 27 2. Job advertisements and procedures for the employment of new staff ... 30 3. Role of the media 30 4. Violence against women and violence in the family 33 5. Education for equality 37 ARTICLE 6. TRAFFICKING IN WOMEN AND EXPLOITATION OF PROSTITUTION OF WOMEN 39 ARTICLE 7. WOMEN IN POLITICAL AND PUBLIC LIFE 41 1. Constitutional and legal rights to vote and be voted for ... 41 2. Women in political parties 41 CEDAW/C/SVN/2 English Page 4 CONTENTS (continued) Page 3. Women in national bodies, local authority bodies and the judiciary 43 4. Women in the economy and culture 46 ARTICLE 8. WOMEN AS GOVERNMENT REPRESENTATIVES IN INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND WOMEN IN DIPLOMACY 48 ARTICLE 9. CITIZENSHIP 49 ARTICLE 10. EDUCATION 50 1. Basic characteristics of the new education system 50 2. Education activities 52 3. Elimination of gender stereotypes in the education system .. 62 4. Grants policy 62 5. Literacy and lifelong learning ... 63 6. Physical education and sport , 65 7. Education for healthy living and family life 66 ARTICLE 11. EMPLOYMENT 68 1. Women in the labour market 68 2. Ensuring equal opportunities for women and men in the area of employment ' 77 3. Right to social security, particularly upon retirement, in the event of unemployment, illness, invalidity, old age and other types of inability to work, and the right to paid leave 77 ARTICLE 12. WOMEN'S HEALTH 81 1. Health care in the Republic of Slovenia 81 2. The state of health of the population 85 3. Health care of women 87 4. Sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS and HIV 95 CEDAW/C/SVN/2 English Page 5 CONTENTS (continued) Page 5. Programmes to inform the public and women 96 ARTICLE 13. OTHER AREAS OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL LIFE 98 1. Family incomes 98 2. Bank loans, mortgages and other financial credits 101 3. Recreation, sport and other aspects of cultural life 101 ARTICLE 14. RURAL WOMEN 102 1. Rural population 102 2. Division of labour and decision-making in the farming economy 102 3. Living conditions in the countryside 102 4. Social security and health care of rural women 103 5. Participation in public life 103 ARTICLE 15. EQUALITY BEFORE THE LAW 104 ARTICLE 16. MARRIAGE AND FAMILY RELATIONS 105 INFORMING THE PUBLIC OF THE CONVENTION 106 CEDAW/C/SVN/2 English Page 6 INTRODUCTION In 1992, the Republic of Slovenia became a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women as a legal successor to the ratification of the convention by the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. The initial report on the implementation of the provisions of the..convention was sent to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women in 1993. The Committee discussed the report at its 16th session (13-31 January 1997). This is the Second Report on the Implementation of the Provisions of the Convention, which the Republic of Slovenia in accordance with article 18 of the convention is submitting for discussion by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. In preparing this report, the Republic of Slovenia took account of the initial report on the measures adopted to eliminate discrimination against women in the Republic of Slovenia, the report of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on the consideration of the initial report, the general guidelines with regard to the form and content of reports by the state parties and the guidelines for the preparation of second and subsequent reports, including those adopted by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women at its 16th session in 1997. The chapter from the "Human rights reporting under six major international human rights instruments" publication prepared by Zagorka Hie and Ivanka Corti for the purposes of reporting under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women was a useful guide in preparing analytical evaluation of the status of women in the Republic of Slovenia. This report contains available information and statistical data which were not presented in the initial report and focuses on changes which have occurred in the period from the initial report until this report was prepared. CEDAW/C/SVN/2 English PART I. GENERAL INFORMATION Page 7 (a) Actual, general, social, economic, political and legal framework within which Slovenia approaches the elimination of discrimination against women in all its forms, as defined in the Convention 1. Population 1.1. General information In December 1996 Slovenia had a population of 1,986,989, of which 968,634 (48.6%) were men and 1,018,355 (51.4%) were women. Slovenia's population therefore comprises more women than men. Projections for changes in the permanent population of Slovenia for five- year periods from 1995 to 2020 show that there will also be more women than men in the next millennium. The highest number of women is expected to be in 2000, when the figure is projected to reach 1,034,335, exceeding the number of men by 57,157. As ih the period covered by Slovenia's first report, data on the age groups of the population confirms that the intensive process of the ageing of the population has continued. The average age of the population was 37.6 at the end of 1996: 0.3 years more than in 1995. The reason for the increasingly low number of younger generations is, first and foremost, a reduction in the birth rate. The proportion of the population of working age (15-64) has increased somewhat, chiefly because of the higher number of foreign citizens, where as many as 71.6% are aged between 20 and 49. 1.2. Rural/urban population According to the 1991 census, 972,937 people live in rural areas: 49.5% of the total population. More than half of them are women. 1.3. Ethnic groups In accordance with the principles laid down in the Slovene Constitution on the equality of ethnic groups and the right of individuals to express their ethnic determination freely, and according to data based on people's personal declarations, Italians, Hungarians, Roms, Albanians, Montenegrins, Croats, Macedonians, Muslims, Serbs, and nationally non- determined persons live in Slovenia, in addition to Slovenes. 1.4. Official languages There are three official languages in Slovenia. Slovene is the language used across the entire country, while Italian and Hungarian are two official languages used in the nationally mixed areas of Slovenia. CBDAW/C/SVN/2 English Page 8 1.5. Natural population movements After 1992 the highest difference between live and stillborn babies was recorded in 1996 (168). The growth rate of the population was 0.1. In 1996, 18,893 babies were born in Slovenia; 105 of these were stillborn. The number of deaths of babies is falling year on year. The low mortality rate of babies and new-boms places Slovenia among those European countries with the lowest levels of mortality of children up to one month old.