Giving Compass' Take:

• A report from the Centre for Civil and Human Rights highlights the mistreatment of Roma women who face discrimination from doctors, putting their health at risk. 

• How does this treatment reflect discrimination in the U.S. and around the world? 

• Learn about a health funder putting women of color front and center. 

Roma women living in Slovakia report discrimination, segregation and abuse when obtaining reproductive health services, according to a report from the Centre for Reproductive Rights and the Slovak organisation Centre for Civil and Human Rights (Poradňa), released on November 27, 2017.

Roma women should be treated with dignity and respect when seeking reproductive health care. The Slovak government must take concrete steps to ensure that Roma women get the care they need free of gender and racial discrimination.

The report, called Vakeras Zorales – Speaking Out: Roma Women’s Experiences in Reproductive Health Care in Slovakia, documents the personal stories of 38 Roma women from marginalised communities who reported discrimination and abuse in reproductive and maternal health care facilities in eastern Slovakia. The report also recommends systemic steps and measures the Slovak authorities should take to respect the human rights of Roma women, like implementing and investing adequate resources into appropriate programmes to improve Roma women’s access to quality services.

Read the full article about Roma women at The Slovak Spectator.