International Day for Tolerance. What about the Roma?
16 Nov 2010
Today is the International Day against Intolerance, yet intolerance is spread across Europe. The Roma community proves to be one of the principal targets of such intolerance. In France the Roma have been targeted by forced evictions; in Romania some Roma communities are placed out of sight, therefore out of mind, in the outskirts of towns, in metal barracks that offer no protection against freezing winters and hot summers; in Hungary members of the Romani community were subjected to a series of Molotov cocktails attacks and shooting that specifically targeted them and their properties and several deaths were accounted for among the community.
In Slovakia almost half of the Roma live in segregated and inadequate settlements, while children are segregated in Roma-only or special schools/classes, where they receive low quality education and see their chances for a better future undermined. Separate and unequal education for an ethnic group should not be tolerated, yet thousands of Romani children remain trapped in substandard education and a school system that keeps failing them. In Czech Republic, three years after the landmark judgment of the European Court of Human Rights in the D.H. and Others v the Czech Republic case, thousands of Romani children continue to receive inferior education in schools for pupils with ‘mild mental disabilities’, while many other Roma children are segregated in Roma-only mainstream schools.
Discrimination and intolerance unfortunately touch various rights of the Roma communities throughout Europe. What do you think it needs to be done to counteract discrimination, segregation, violence and intolerance targeting Roma in Europe?
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Thanks guys for your great

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Sat, 2011-01-08 19:44.

Thanks guys for your great job and energy in such important matters !!

cheers