“SLOVAKIA’S minorities received good news from parliament in late February when MPs passed an amendment to existing anti–discrimination legislation that extends the authority of those who provide Slovak-style affirmative action measures, as well as the scope of those who benefit from them. In particular, these measures may offer Roma living in poverty and social exclusion … Continue reading
“BUDAPEST – A year and a half has passed since the European Commission adopted the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies up to 2020, which calls upon European Union governments to create comprehensive plans aimed at strengthening social inclusion and improving the well-being of their Romani citizens. The European Council endorsed the framework soon … Continue reading
“News server iDNES.cz reports that the Slovaks are contemplating what to do with illegal Romani settlements in their country. One such settlement is in the village of Krásnohorské Podhradie, where part of the land is owned by neo-Nazi Marián Kotleba, who has threatened to demolish all of the small Romani homes currently on his property. … Continue reading
“A historic Slovak court ruling that the segregation of Roma in schools is unlawful sends a strong signal to the authorities that separate education based on the ethnicity of the pupils is unacceptable, said Amnesty International. The Regional Court in Prešov, eastern Slovakia on Tuesday ruled that by segregating Romani pupils in separate classes, the … Continue reading
“People of the Roma community often live on the edge of society suffering huge prejudice and discrimination. They are among the most deprived communities in Europe and many are denied their rights to housing, employment and healthcare. Roma children are often forced to go to special schools and little make it to secondary education. It … Continue reading
“The ten pillars of the Roma reform package introduced by the new government proxy for Roma, Peter Pollák, earlier in September are politically motivated and designed to mollify the emotional state of mind of the public, said Iveta Bihariová of People against Racism during a meeting of NGOs, Roma activists and politicians organised by Pollák … Continue reading
“A new World Bank study has found that out of the 165,000 Roma of working age officially registered in Slovakia, only 20 percent of men and 9 percent of women have a job. By comparison, that is less than half the rate among Roma in Romania and Bulgaria. As many as 87 percent of Roma … Continue reading
“Budapest, 27 September 2012: The European Roma Rights Centre is highlighting violent attacks against Roma at an OSCE meeting in Warsaw today. Media reports show at least 20 attacks across four countries, including 10 deaths of Romani people, in the first half of 2012 alone. The ERRC has monitored media and NGO reports for incidents … Continue reading
Promoters of the ultra-right Peoples Party Our Slovakia Lidová strana Naše Slovensko – LSNS are planning an event on 29 September to “clean up” the Romani settlement in Krásná Hôrka. The party is inviting people to attend the event through social networks and its website, which claims more than 300 people might participate. The party … Continue reading
Budapest, Bratislava, Kiev, 25 June 2012: Romani individuals have been attacked, killed and threatened in two separate incidents in Slovakia and Ukraine in the last month. The European Roma Rights Centre has sent letters to the authorities calling for a full and transparent investigation into the events. In Slovakia, an off-duty policeman killed three Romani … Continue reading
