Slovenia pledges to challenge traditional norms, call on men and boys as agents of change and pursue equality by 2020 (updated)

Fully committed to the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, Slovenia affirms the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, calling for each and every goal to involve the equal participation and equal enjoyment of rights for women and girls.

Gender equality requires the active involvement of men and boys, which is why leading officials have joined the HeForShe campaign. Slovenia will continue to promote the roles and responsibilities of men and boys as allies and agents of change.

Having kept the issue of violence against women and girls high on the political agenda, and becoming a party to the Council of Europe [Istanbul] Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence, Slovenia has made significant progress on prevention and response.

It further affirms its commitment to foster gender equality by planning to adopt a national programme for equality between women and men by 2020.

Speaking at the Global Leaders’ Meeting on 27 September 2015, Prime Minister Miroslav Cerar said: “Inequalities between women and men still exist, and no country is immune to this. We pledge and call on others to … further challenge traditional notions of masculinities, and traditional norms, laws, and practices that support them.”

Developments since Slovenia’s commitment

Following Slovenia’s commitment to promote the role of men and boys in advancing gender equality and to keep ending violence against women high on its national agenda, Slovenia has already launched a project (Active.all) in order to address and reduce gender stereotypes in the area of equal participation of women and men in care and housework.

This year Slovenia has launched an awareness-raising campaign on power relations and distribution of resources between women and men, and has implemented a project on work-life balance of men (Fathers and Employers in Action).

Additionally, the Government established an inter-governmental working group for the implementation of the Istanbul Convention and made amendments to The Family Violence Prevention Act (2008) and to the Penal Code (recognizing stalking and forced marriage as a criminal offence).

Slovenia supports international development assistance projects (in Bosna and Herzegovina and Lebanon in 2016) and has committed to adopt the mid-term strategy—the national programme for equality between women and men, 2015–2020.

In 2016, the Protection against Discrimination Act was also adopted, including the prohibition of discrimination on grounds of sex. [ Full update ]