GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE were summarily returned to neighbouring Ten years after signing the Council of Croatia, based on a bilateral readmission Europe’s Istanbul Convention on Violence agreement, enabling informal returns which Against Women, Slovakia had still not ratified circumvent the usual asylum procedures. it. Drawing on the data of helplines for victims The Ombudsman’s Office criticized the of domestic violence, a report by the Institute practice, saying that it deprived people of for Labour and Family Research highlighted legal remedies to address potential human an increase in cases during the Covid-19 rights violations. pandemic. In 2020, there was a 49% In April, the Supreme Court upheld the increase in calls to helplines in comparison earlier Administrative Court ruling that the with 2019. authorities violated the right of a In April, the prime minister allocated €3 Cameroonian national to seek asylum when million to centres for victims of domestic he was deported without formal procedure to violence to increase the financing of shelters. Croatia and then on to Bosnia and SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS Herzegovina. Courts in Italy and Austria also found that Slovenia’s practice of expelling In June and November, parliamentarians asylum seekers based on bilateral unsuccessfully attempted to adopt agreements was in breach of international amendments that would restrict access to law and subjected the victims to so-called abortion. The proposals, which were rejected chain pushbacks, which resulted in people by parliament, aimed to restrict access to being further expelled to Croatia and Bosnia legal abortion. and Herzegovina. In December, two people trying to cross to Slovenia drowned in the REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS Dragonja river, including a ten-year-old In August, Slovakia announced that it would Kurdish girl from Turkey. only accept 10 Afghan evacuees. The party Changes to the Law on Foreigners and the leaders of the government coalition stated Law on International Protection were adopted that the country would not be open to accept in March, further restricting asylum seekers’, a “larger number” of refugees. refugees’ and migrants’ access to protection and rights, and allowing the possibility of complete border closure in case of a SLOVENIA “complex migration crisis”. NGOs argued that the amendments violated Slovenian and EU Republic of Slovenia law and put people at risk of torture. Head of state: Borut Pahor VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AND GIRLS Head of government: Janez Janša In June, the Slovenian Parliament adopted Asylum seekers were denied access to amendments to the Criminal Code that asylum and forcibly returned to Croatia. The recognized that sex without consent is rape, definition of rape in the Criminal Code was bringing the legislation in line with brought into line with international international law and standards.1 Under the standards. Media freedom deteriorated. new law, coercion, or the use or threat of Freedom of peaceful assembly was further force, will no longer be required as conditions restricted. for the crime to be considered rape. REFUGEES’ AND MIGRANTS’ RIGHTS RIGHT TO HEALTH Slovenia continued to deny access to asylum In December, the parliament adopted the law to potential asylum seekers irregularly on long-term care for older people to address entering the country. The vast majority of insufficient care services for the growing people apprehended on Slovenian territory elderly population. Amnesty International Report 2021/22 328