Mária Vašková is a Roma woman who lives in the village Geča (eastern Slovakia). In the past, she worked for many years as an accountant at an urban housing company in Košice, where since 2009 she has experienced discrimination and humiliation by her employer. The reason was her Roma ethnic origin. Among other things, the employer moved her office to a room with insufficient lighting and ventilation, which affected her health.

Mária filed an anti-discrimination lawsuit and, with the support of our non-governmental organisation, sought justice for employment discrimination she faced.

Despite the fact that the Slovak courts did not rule in her favor – her committment to get justice deserves admiration. Through her efforts, Mária pointed out the persistent barriers in access to justice faced by discriminated Roma in Slovak courts.

In this video, Mária answered the question – why it is important to stand up for your rights. We hope that it inspires as many people as possible to stand up for their rights.

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Author of the video: Ján Varchola for the Center for Civil and Human Rights (Poradňa)