The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights asked Croatia to urgently take action to prevent violation of women's sexual and reproductive rights, after the local non-governmental organisation Roda reported violations of women's reproductive rights based on testimonies of numerous women who had painful experiences at Croatia's hospitals.

“We are appalled by the testimonies given by women, following the launch of the campaign #BreakTheSilence in October 2018, which showed a pattern of abuse and violence against women undertaking medical procedures related to their reproductive health,” said a statement signed by a group of experts released on Monday on the website of the UN Commissioner for Human Rights and former President of Chile, Michelle Bachelet.

Noting that the violence ranged from surgical treatments carried out without anaesthesia, to outright humiliation, verbal abuse, and denying painkillers, the statement said that Croatia should adopt measures to prevent such violence and insist on the accountability of medical professionals perpetrating it.

“We are deeply concerned about women being subjected to painful treatments without anaesthesia, including surgical miscarriage procedures, uterine scrapes, removal of placenta, stitching after birth, episiotomies being conducted against their will, and disrespectful treatment of women by health personnel,” the statement said.

They note that in spite of the testimonies collected, some Croatian politicians and health officials have denied the allegations, questioning the credibility of the women’s stories and their perception of pain. At times, even women’s intelligence was questioned.

“A woman who is receiving reproductive health care, including giving birth, accessing medically assisted reproduction services, and undergoing surgical miscarriage procedures, must have her rights respected… Health personnel should apply the highest standards of professionalism and ethical codes in delivering reproductive health care, and they must respect the dignity, privacy, autonomy, integrity and security of women,” the experts said.

“We encourage the Government of Croatia to conduct an independent investigation into those allegations, to publish its results and to elaborate a national action plan for women’s health,” the statement said.

During the campaign titled #BreakTheSilence, activists collected more than 400 testimonies of women in less than three days, who all talked about having experienced some form of violence or abuse at Croatian hospitals during various gynaecological procedures.

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