Wyrok Europejskiego Trybunału Praw Człowieka z dnia 20 czerwca 2024 r. w sprawie Z. vs. Czechy, dotyczącej pozytywnych obowiązków państwa w zakresie zapewnienia jednostce efektywnej ochrony przed niechcianymi aktami seksualnymi, skarga nr 37782/21

In June 2024, the European Court of Human Rights handed down its judgement in a case which concerned a Czech former student who had allegedly been sexually harassed by a clergyman teaching at her university. The applicant claimed that she was unable to express her objection during sexual acts because of her over-dependence on the lecturer, as he was her promoter, and also because of her mental problems after the loss of her father. She claimed that she expressed her objection each time after these acts. However, the case ended already at the pre-trial stage, as the Czech authorities stated that for the clergyman’s acts to be considered a crime, the applicant would have had to express her objection during the sexual acts. The European Court of Human Rights ruled that the Czech Republic had violated Articles 3 and 8 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. The judgement continues a line of case law initiated in M.C. v. Bulgaria (Application no. 39272/98).