The Council of Europe’s Human Rights Commissioner, Dunja Mijatović, has issued a warning that the Romani people in the Czech Republic continue to face discrimination in almost all aspects of life. Mijatović recently completed a five-day visit to the country, where she met with representatives of the Czech authorities and NGOs to assess the living conditions for members of the Romani minority and the state of protection for the human rights of people living with disabilities.

Mijatović identified several areas of concern, including discrimination in access to education, the housing market, and the labor market, as well as when interacting with police. She also expressed concern about the treatment of Romani Ukrainians seeking temporary protection in the country, which she says is markedly different from the way other Ukrainians seeking temporary protection are treated.

Mijatović believes that a “paradigm shift” is needed in the education system to move away from the focus on testing, which she considers to be a tool of exclusion that segregates Romani children into lower-quality or even “special needs” schools. She also highlighted the difficulties faced by Romani women in accessing compensation for forced sterilizations, calling for a quick resolution to evidentiary issues and clear guidance on the assessment of applications.

While the Czech authorities are aware of the problems observed and are working on strategies to ameliorate them, there continues to be a fragmentation of responsibilities, both at the central government level and between the state and the regional and municipal authorities. This creates significant barriers for the successful and full attainment of these policies, according to Mijatović.

The Commissioner’s report is a stark reminder that discrimination against Romani people in the Czech Republic remains a pressing issue, and that more needs to be done to achieve fundamental change in the situation. The Czech Republic should spare no effort to address the long-standing problem of the exclusion of Roma people and people with disabilities and to ensure that they can live in equality and dignity. Many good ideas and intentions could help Czech society become more inclusive, but these need proper implementation and enforcement. Unfortunately, an important gap still exists here.

Article by Prague Forum