UN Committee: Racial discrimination against Romani people persists unabated in Slovakia

The TASR news agency reports that the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) published a report on 30 August finding that although anti-discrimination legislation has been adopted in Slovakia, discrimination of people who are racialized continues there, especially against Romani people and those of African descent. The 18 independent experts at CERD also expressed their concern that the court proceedings in cases of such discrimination are too lengthy, which prevents victims from effectively accessing justice.

The CERD recommended Slovakia “take appropriate measures to address the problem of lengthy court proceedings and take the necessary steps to ensure that all victims of racial discrimination have the opportunity to file adequate remedies”. The committee also expressed concern that the closure of schools during the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately negatively impacted Romani children’s access to education.

Experts pointed to the fact that many Romani children could not participate in online education due to their insufficient access to the Internet. The experts appealed to Slovakia to take the necessary measures to address the root causes of the discrimination and segregation of Romani children in the education system and to intensify their efforts to ensure equal opportunities for Romani children in access to quality education.