After a recent visit to Slovakia, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O'Flaherty called on the Slovak authorities to urgently address the "terrible living conditions" of thousands of Roma. He met with representatives of the government and ombudsman Róbert Dobrovodský. In the east of Slovakia he visited Roma neighbourhoods where he met with representatives of Roma communities, local authorities and groups working with Roma. He pointed out that some of the communities live in extreme poverty and in some places he visited there is no or very limited access to water, sanitation and electricity. According to him, long-term involvement in favor of Roma communities is essential. "We need an intergenerational approach to solving the problems faced by the Roma. This means fundamentally rethinking funding structures to ensure the long-term sustainability of good initiatives," the commissioner said.
In his report, published on Monday July 15 O'Flaherty drew attention to widespread "anti-Gypsyism" in Slovakia. He indicated the need to improve trust between Roma communities and mainstream society. "The government should combat the growing hostility towards them in the public debate, including by actively fighting disinformation," he said.
TASR
