Norway

convoy were quarantined for five days at an army barracks on entering North Macedonia, then released; non-Roma travellers were told to self-isolate at home.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) people

In May, the Constitutional Court struck out the 2019 Law on Prevention and Protection against Discrimination, which recognized discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation, for procedural reasons. In October, Parliament reinstated the law, but failed to ensure the independence of the Discrimination Commission. In August, the president of the Tetovo-based NGO LGBTUnited was assaulted, receiving head and eye injuries.

Women

Employers failed to implement COVID-19related measures to assist working parents, disproportionately affecting women, some of whom had their wages unlawfully reduced if they took time off. In the textile industry, women were threatened with lay-offs, nonrenewal of contracts, or – as in Štip, in June –required to work through a weekend curfew.

The government failed to fully implement recommendations from NGOs to protect women and children fleeing domestic violence.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS

During the pandemic, state clinics could not provide routine sexual health and reproductive services; the NGO HERA prioritized services for Roma and other vulnerable women.

In March, the CEDAW Committee ordered North Macedonia to provide reparation to six pregnant Roma women unlawfully evicted from their homes in the capital, Skopje, in August 2016.

According to the NGO European Roma Rights Centre, a Roma woman died in March during a procedure to remove her dead baby. She was twice refused admittance at Ohrid hospital, despite presenting with pain, then an infection and fever. When she was finally taken to Skopje hospital, she had to wait six hours for her COVID-19 test result before admission. By then, the baby had died.

REFUGEES, ASYLUM-SEEKERS AND MIGRANTS

Almost half of the 172 asylum claims lodged by the end of June were made by individuals unlawfully detained as witnesses in proceedings against smugglers; one applicant was granted temporary protection. The NGO Macedonian Young Lawyers Association reported that by 30 September 24,153 refugees and migrants had been prevented from entering the country or were unlawfully pushed back to Greece.

NORWAY

Kingdom of Norway Head of state: Harald V Head of government: Erna Solberg

The government suspended its invasive COVID-19 tracing mobile application which risked the right to privacy. Violence against women remained a serious concern. A consultation took place on a draft law on human rights in business and supply chains.

MASS SURVEILLANCE

In April, the government rolled out the mobile application Smittestopp (“infection stop”) to track possible COVID-19 infections. The contact tracing app put the right to privacy and security of hundreds of thousands of people at risk. After heavy criticism, the app was suspended and all collected data deleted in June.1

DISCRIMINATION

Sex-workers’ rights

Public health restrictions introduced on 12 March to limit the spread of the COVID-19 virus curtailed people’s freedom of movement and assembly, including that of sex workers (80% of whom are women). Despite being temporarily prohibited from selling sex from