A quarter-century of the Freedom of Choice
Our organization, the Freedom of Choice (Možnosť voľby), is celebrating its 25th anniversary. If we were to blow out the birthday candles, we would wish for a single thing: that the freedom to make decisions about one’s own body and life is not a luxury in Slovakia, but a given.
Since 2001, we have been an integral part of the fight for human rights in Slovakia. Our work combines expert advocacy, gender education, and uncompromising civic activism. We are here to safeguard the future against those who want to take us back in time.
💜 20 Pillars of the Freedom of Choice: What Have We Achieved in a Quarter-Century?
✨ The Founding of the Freedom of Choice (2001):
In February 2001, the Freedom of Choice was founded as a broad initiative of organizations and individuals responding to the Christian Democratic Movement’s in Slovakia (KDH) efforts to amend the Constitution of the Slovak Republic in a way that would ban abortions. On April 26, 2001, the Freedom of Choice was registered as a civic association.
Since 2001, we have been working tirelessly to promote reproductive rights in Slovakia and resisting efforts to restrict them.
✨ We have stopped 36 attempts to restrict reproductive rights.
✨ The “Fifth Woman” Campaign (Piata žena)
At the turn of 2001 and 2002, we co-organized the first nationwide media campaign focused on violence against women — the “Fifth Woman” campaign. The campaign shifted the perception of violence from a “private problem” to a social issue linked to gender inequality.
✨ A huge victory for reproductive justice!
On December 4, 2007, the Constitutional Court of the Slovak Republic ruled that the abortion law is in accordance with the Constitution, thereby upholding women’s right to abortion! A motion for debate was submitted by a group of 31 members of parliament back in 2001 with the aim of banning abortions.
It was the most significant and most emotionally charged decision of the Constitutional Court. The Freedom of Choice with the expert support initiative, in collaboration with the Center for Reproductive Rights, submitted a comprehensive brief to the Constitutional Court regarding the constitutionality of the law on artificial termination of pregnancy.
✨ Dozens of open letters…
We submitted dozens of open letters, appeals, and collective comments on laws, strategic documents, and action plans in the field of human rights, thereby contributing to their improvement in terms of gender equality.
✨ We connect and stay connected
We have established key, long-term partnerships and alliances with organizations in Slovakia and abroad. We are a proud member of the ASTRA network, the Fifth Woman Initiative, the Human Rights Coalition in Slovakia, and other networks.
✨ First Shadow Report
In 2007, we submitted our first shadow report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women. We drew the Committee’s attention to serious shortcomings in the enforcement of women’s rights and ongoing discrimination. We also participated in the Committee’s session in New York.
✨ Blocking the Vatican Treaty
In 2006 and 2010, our advocacy played a key role in preventing the signing of the Vatican Treaty on the so-called “conscience clause.” This treaty would have significantly restricted many human rights of women and children, particularly the right to health and education.
Adopting the Vatican Treaty would effectively lead to a situation where the state provides only those services that are in accordance with Catholic doctrine. In the area of reproductive rights, this means that abortions, contraceptives, and forms of assisted reproduction could become unavailable. Information on reproductive health and sex education may also become inaccessible. Conversely, a significant restriction of reproductive and sexual rights could lead to an increase in maternal mortality, unwanted pregnancies, abortions performed under unsafe conditions, and sexually transmitted infections.
✨ National Strategy for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Slovak Republic
From 2011 to 2014, we were part of an expert team that spent more than three years drafting the National Strategy for the Protection and Promotion of Human Rights in the Slovak Republic. And we fought tirelessly for its adoption!
✨ Launch of “We Won’t Be Silent!” Initiative (2018) (Nebudeme ticho!)
Together with the ASPEKT and “The Uprising Continues” (Povstanie pokračuje) organizations, we launched the “We Won’t Be Silent!” initiative in response to attempts to ban or further restrict access to abortion in Slovakia. We took over public spaces, selecting a ladle as the symbol of our resistance.
✨ The One-of-a-kind Support Line
Where the state fails, we provide concrete support and assistance. Since 2022, we have been operating a support line to facilitate access to safe abortion. To date, we have provided support to 450 individuals.
✨ Leaders in gender education
We have created 11 comprehensive educational programs on gender equality, each averaging 60 educational hours. We have also established quality standards for gender education in Slovakia.
✨ Human Rights Summer School
Since 2015, we have been shaping a new generation of engaged people with a commitment to equality.
✨ Up to 2,500 hours of training and 1,500 empowered individuals
Through our gender training sessions, workshops, and summer schools focused on building gender capacity, more than 1,500 people have completed 2,500 hours of in-depth gender education.
✨ Campaigns Reaching Millions in Support of the Istanbul Convention
Between 2015 and 2018, we ran three nationwide campaigns aimed at promoting the ratification of the Istanbul Convention.
For the first time, well-known Slovak men came together in the campaign to send a message to other men, saying that violence against women is unacceptable, and to support the call for the convention’s ratification.
✨ First Comprehensive Survey on Abortions
In 2021, we conducted the first in-depth study on the availability of abortions in Slovakia. We gathered key arguments for the creation and implementation of measures to remove existing abortion barriers. The research and the recommendations derived from it were widely publicised and embraced by numerous key stakeholders.
✨ Award-winning activists
Our executive director, Adriana Mesochoritisová, received the Piata Žena Award (Fifth Woman Award) in the activism category for her significant contributions to eliminating violence against women. She was also nominated for the Ministry of Justice Award for Human Rights and the Simon Veil Award.
✨ Active participation in participatory bodies
We steadfastly defend human rights in participatory bodies, advisory committees, and expert groups. We are most active in the Slovak government’s Council for Human Rights and Gender Equality and in the Committee for Gender Equality.
✨ Let’s Be a Caring Country (2023) (Buďme starostlivou krajinou)
Through this campaign, we fostered a respectful public discourse on abortion and framed it as an issue of women’s health care. We impacted more than 2.3 million people on social media.
✨ 46 Successful Projects
Over the past 25 years, we have implemented dozens of projects focused on promoting and protecting human rights, gender equality, and reproductive justice.
