WRITTEN SUBMISSION BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE CONCERNING SLOVAKIA (To the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, for consideration to the 94th Session 20 November - 8 December 2017) (European Roma Rights Center, 2017)
The European Roma Rights Centre (hereinafter also referred to as the "ERRC") and the Forum for Human Rights (hereinafter referred to as the "FORUM") hereby jointly submit this report to the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (hereinafter also referred to as "Committee") for the consideration to the 94th Session (20 November - 8 December 2017). The report focuses on the issues faced by Romani communities in Slovakia, namely: - police ill-treatment and harassment, - access to adequate housing, including access to drinking water, - discrimination in education. In its 2013 Concluding observations (CERD/C/ SVK/CO/9-10), the Committee addressed all the above-mentioned issues. Though several years have passed since, the submitting NGOs believe that the Slovak government has taken no significant steps to address the issues, therefore, the situation remains largely unchanged and the problems persist