Ongoing projects

RELEASE project has been inspired from the urge to identify alternatives to pre-trial detention in Eastern Europe and Central Europe. RELEASE focuses on this region due to the fact that the alternatives to pre-trial detention are extremely rarely used in this region and the detention measure is a regularly used instrument. This constitutes an issue that can have negative effects on a number of different aspects: sociological aspect, harmonization of EU law, human rights aspect.

The main priority of the RELEASE project is to contribute to the coherent application of EU laws across the Member States and this way to promote judicial cooperation in criminal matters. The project aims at facilitating the establishment of mutual trust amongst the target groups and improvement of the national justice systems.

RELEASE  focuses on pre-trial detention having as an objective to propose and promote alternatives to its excessive use. More precisely, the project aims on assisting predominantly the judiciary (including judges, investigative judges) but also prosecutors, defense lawyers and other legal practitioners in EU Member States, particularly those located in Eastern and Central Europe, to strengthen the cooperation between competent authorities on the issue of pre-trial detention. The activities that will be carried out within the framework of the project aim to facilitate the construction of a common approach, by identifying the best practices and working methods and establishing mutual trust between the partner countries. The planned activities will consist of identification of best practices and working methods, establishment of mutual trust between partnering Member States, organization of mutual learning activities such as national workshops and international seminars and publishing of learning materials. The project results will be promoted across and beyond the partner countries and target groups via targeted awareness-raising and dissemination activities.

• Desk-research – data collection on the topic such as statistics and case law in partner countries and the region as well as identification of gaps and needs
• Handbook – including good practices and practical alternatives, with separate parts for the different target groups such as lawyers, judges, prosecutors, consisting of good practices identified by the research and the participants.
• Policy Brief – which will aim to increase the awareness amongst policy makers regarding the issues related to pre-trial detention and possible alternatives for resolving them.
• National workshops and international seminars – organization of national workshops and international seminars for judges, investigative judges, prosecutors, defense lawyers and other legal practitioners or academia.
• RELEASE final conference – which will further support the establishing of effective cooperation between the target groups and will further disseminate the results of the project.

National human rights institutions (NHRIs) in EU Member States in many cases lack sufficient capacity to fully engage in the fundamental rights protection mechanisms provided by the EU law. When addressing situations with a human rights aspect, systematic and structured application of the EU law is absent. The EU law remains a tool used by NHRIs only sparely, including the specific mechanisms that the EU has created for this purpose. Therefore, it is necessary to focus on the capacity building needs for the proper application of EU fundamental rights law, with special focus on the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights.

Implementation of the project consists of three key work packages. The project seeks to:

• Enhance the use of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights by NHRIs and strengthen their role in its enforcement at the national level, including by building the capacity of NHRI staff in using EU fundamental rights law in their work;
• Strengthen NHRIs’ capacity to monitor fundamental rights and the rule of law, by increasing their engagement with relevant EU mechanisms and by promoting national dialogues on fundamental rights and the rule of law;
• Develop the capacity of NHRIs to monitor fundamental rights compliance in the implementation of EU funds, as foreseen by newly applicable EU law.

Based on the results of activities carried out in each of the three work packages of the project, the aim of the project is to strengthen the role of NHRIs and their capacity to engage in the processes of applying fundamental rights and principles of the rule of law within the EU mechanisms. Moreover, many other institutions, administrative structures, civil society organisations or individuals belonging to vulnerable groups will also benefit from the above, as the level of the EU fundamental rights protection at the national level will be increased.

• Baseline studies of the situation in Slovakia as regards the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights and the role of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights;
• Capacity-building needs assessments;
• Training material and curricula;
• Trainings and study programmes;
• Regional peer exchange meetings;
• Fundamental rights and the rule of law festival;
• Assistance in the development of mechanisms facilitating the application of fundamental rights at national level;
• Analytical paper on the role of the Slovak National Centre for Human Rights in monitoring the implementation of EU funds in accordance with the fundamental rights conditionalities.

Slovakia received the overall score of 66.8 in the employment and work category of the European Institute for Gender Equality’s annual Gender Equality Index. Women in Slovakia work for fewer years than men over the course of their lives. In Slovakia, men work for up to 37 years during their lives, while women work for only 32 years, which is still less than the EU average. In Slovakia, the majority of women work full-time. Part-time female workers are either unable to find a suitable full-time job or their employers are unwilling to allow them to work full-time due to a lack of work.

Work quality and segregation in the labor market

In Slovakia, work quality and labor market segregation persist problematic. Women are overrepresented in low-wage sectors of the economy, and women’s access to better-paying jobs is limited. Education, social services and health care are examples of such sectors. In Slovakia, for example, there are more women than men working in education. Women, on the other hand, are disproportionately represented in lower and less/lower-paid positions (e.g. teacher, tutor, teaching assistant), whereas men are disproportionately represented in senior and managerial positions (e.g. director).

Gender pay gap

We have seen a slight improvement in equal pay since Slovakia joined the European Union. However, according to Eurostat, Slovakia continues to have one of the largest pay disparities in the EU, with a pay gap up to 19,4 % (2018). The average hourly wage for men is 7,40 EUR, while the average hourly wage for women is 6 EUR. Women in Slovakia, on the other hand, work 5 hours less per month than men. The remuneration system is largely tailored to men’s life cycles. For example, experience gained outside of paid work (such as child and family care) is not considered when hiring or remunerating employees. Women are thus subjected to multiple forms of discrimination, not only because of their gender, but also because of their motherhood and parenthood situation.

In Slovakia, the state of gender equality situation is not encouraging. Gender equality and its importance in the Slovak society is stagnating, and is largely influenced by stereotypes, prejudices, hoaxes and misinformation spread primarily online. As a result, the project focuses on raising awareness on gender equality among young people who are getting their first job experience (through education and youth work, communication campaign), mapping the state of gender equality in the workplace and the needs of vulnerable groups (through public consultations), sensitizing male and female employees working in the private sector (through training and adult work), and networking experts at national and european level to exchange good practice and support social innovations in the area of gender equality.

• Public consultations with employees
• Public consultations with employers
• Communication campaign
• Youth work and education 
• Adult sensitization activities
• International conference on gender equality and work-life balance

The European Social Charter (ESC) is a Council of Europe treaty that guarantees fundamental social and economic rights. ESC guarantees a human rights related to employment, housing, health, education, social protection and welfare. Its implementation in Council of Europe´s member states is supervised by the European Committee of Social Rights under the established reporting procedure.

The reporting procedure aims to improve the realisation of the rights guaranteed by ESC, and to facilitate regular dialogue with states and the civil society organisations (CSOs). Under this procedure, states annually submit reports on the implementation of ESC. The monitoring procedure relies also on additional comments and information submitted by CSOs.

The CSOs reporting has not been fully explored in Slovakia and few CSOs actively sumit their comments and information to the European Committee of Social Rights. The Centre, thus, aims to strengthen capacities of local and grassroots organisations in Slovakia that play a key role in protecting and promoting economic and social rights at the national level and have first-hand information on the gaps in protection and challenges.

By building capacities of CSOs working with topics relevant for reporting in the upcoming year, the Centre will support their engagement in the reporting procedure and promote joint reporting initiatives. The cooperation with CSOs will also enable the Centre to gather information and data relevant for its own reporting. Consequently, the Centre will be able to better target its alternative report and prioritise issues covered so that its report complement comments submitted by CSOs.

The aim of the project is to enhance the use of the reporting procedure concerning the implementation of ESC in Slovakia with main focus on Group 4 Articles (Children, Families, Migrants) that are subject to reporting in 2023. In order to promote reporting of CSOs, the Centre will prepare a manual on applicable rules and deliver a capacity-building seminar for CSOs, which will also serve to gather information and data for the SNCHR´s 2023 submission to the reporting procedure. SNCHR will support joint reporting initiatives of CSOs, engage with CSOs and provide CSOs with a platform to effectively advocate for ratification of non-accepted provisions of the reported Articles.

• Report on identified challenges in implementation of the Group 4 Articles and practical overview of groupf of Articles
• Internal database of CSOs working in the areas covered by the Group 4 Articles, including local and grassroots organisations
• Practical manual for CSOs on reporting to the European Committee of Social Rights
• Seminar for CSOs aimed at building capacity, networking and information gathering, followed up by a joint call to action advocating for ratification of non-accepted provisions of the Group 4 Articles
• Online consultancies for CSOs to address outstanding questions about reporting