This week, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Michael O’Flaherty, issued a memorandum on the human rights of Roma communities in Slovakia. We are pleased that he has addressed the issues that we have long advocated for in our organisation. The memorandum also draws on the experiences of the Roma women he met with during his visit to Slovakia with us last summer.


On the one hand, Commissioner O’Flaherty highlights the Slovak Republic’s commitment to the human rights of Roma communities, in particular through the National Strategy for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation 2030.


At the same time, however, he calls on the Government to make further efforts to address the poor living conditions and segregation of the Roma minority in housing, the desegregation of Roma children in access to education and of Roma women in access to healthcare.
Last but not least, the Commissioner recommends the swift adoption of a compensation mechanism for illegally sterilised Roma women or the streamlining of investigations into cases of racially motivated police violence.


We will continue to monitor how the Government translates the Commissioner’s recommendations into practice and into the lives of Roma communities.


You can read the Commissioner’s memorandum here.