CERD on combating racial bias in Slovakia and the Czech Republic

Reply-To: [email protected]
Sender: [email protected]
From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>
Date: Mon, 21 Aug 2000 09:44:35 +0200 (EET)
Message-Id: <[email protected]>
Subject: CERD on combating racial bias in Slovakia and the Czech Republic

From: MINELRES moderator <[email protected]>

Original sender: Panayote Dimitras <[email protected]>

CERD on combating racial bias in Slovakia and the Czech
Republic 


UNITED NATIONS
Press Release

CERD
57th session
11 August 2000
Afternoon

The Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination this
afternoon adopted its concluding observations and recommendations on
the reports of Slovakia and the Czech Republic on their performance to
combat racial bias in those countries. 

Both Slovakia and the Czech Republic are among the 156 States parties
to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of
Racial Discrimination and as such they must provide the Committee with
periodic reports on the manner in which they are implementing the
provisions of that human rights instrument.

In its conclusions on the report of Slovakia, the Committee was
concerned about allegations that the police and prosecutors had failed
to investigate acts of racially-motivated violence promptly and
effectively, and had been reluctant to identify racial motive behind
attacks. Slovakia was urged to take all necessary measures to ensure
that Roma people enjoyed the full right to health and health care.

With regard to the report of the Czech Republic, the Committee
expressed concern, among other things, at the fact that the Roma
population continued to be subjected to discrimination and at the
ineffective implementation of existing legislation to prosecute the
perpetrators of incitement of racial hatred and support to racist
movements. It recommended, among other things, that effective measures
be taken to eradicate promptly practices of racial segregation,
including the placement of a disproportionate number of Roma children
in special schools. 

The Committee noted as positive aspects in the two reports the
declaration by both States parties on their recognition of the
Committee's competence to receive and consider communications from
individuals, under article 14 of the Convention, claiming to be
victims of a violation by the State party of any of the rights set
forth in that treaty. 

..............


Concluding Observations and Recommendations on Country Reports

Slovakia

Among the positive aspects in the report of Slovakia, the Committee
welcomed the establishment of the post of the Deputy Prime Minister on
Human Rights, National Minorities and Regional Development; the
establishment of the Government's Plenipotentiary for Addressing Roma
Minority Issues, and the approval of the 1999 strategy for the
solution of the problems of the Roma national minority and the set of
measures for its implementation; and the State party's declaration
with respect to article 14 of the Convention on the recognition of the
Committee's competence to receive individual communications.

The Committee, however, regretted the absence of examples of the
practical implementation of the provisions of the Convention; concern
was expressed about de facto settlement patterns with regard to the
Roma minorities and particularly about the fact that two
municipalities had issued decrees banning Roma from their territory
and the duration of proceedings to lift them; and concern was also
expressed at the persistence of acts of violence by groups,
particularly skinheads, directed towards Roma and other ethnic
minorities.

Further, the Committee was concerned about allegations that the police
and prosecutors had failed to investigate acts of racially-motivated
violence promptly and effectively, and had been reluctant to identify
racial motive behind attacks; the number of charges and convictions
being low relative to the number of incidents reported; and that
perpetrators of racial crime were often lightly punished. It also was
concerned about the absence of legislation expressly prohibiting
discrimination in employment; and that a disproportionately large
number of Roma suffered high mortality rates, had poorer nutrition
levels, and a low level of awareness of maternal and child health.

Among its recommendations, the Committee urged the inclusion, in the
next report, of examples of the practical implementation of the
provisions of the Convention together with information on any
difficulties encountered in implementing them; recommended Slovakia to
review legislation regulating local residence permits, to investigate
promptly and thoroughly incidents of discrimination in access to
housing and to give speedy consideration to those issues; that
procedures be strengthened for timely and thorough investigations and
effective prosecutions against racist organizations; that clear
guidelines and instructions be developed to police and prosecuting
authorities to assist them in identifying racially-motivated crimes,
and ensure timely and effective investigations; and that Slovakia take
all necessary measures to ensure that Roma enjoyed the full right to
health and health care.


Czech Republic

With regard to the report on the situation in the Czech Republic, the
Committee found the establishment of new advisory bodies on matters
relevant to combatting racism and intolerance as a positive move,
including the launching and implementation of the "tolerance project",
a public awareness campaign intended to prevent racial discrimination
and increase tolerance. It welcomed the steps taken by the authorities
of the State party to make the declaration provided for in article 14
of the Convention recognizing the Committee's competence to receive
communications.

The Committee said it remained concerned, among other things, by the
fact that the Roma population continued to be subjected to
discrimination in the fields of housing, education and employment; and
at the measures taken by some local authorities leading to segregation
and at the practice of school segregation by which many Roma children
were placed in special schools, offering them lesser opportunities for
further study or employment. Concern was also expressed at the
ineffective implementation of existing legislation to prosecute the
perpetrators of incitement of racial hatred and support to racist
movements; and about the lack of effectiveness and confidence in the
criminal judicial system to prevent and combat racial crimes.

The Committee recommended, among other things, that information be
provided on the impact of the measures taken to improve the situation
of the Roma minority, especially the ones designed to eliminate their
social exclusion; that effective measures be taken to eradicate
promptly practices of racial segregation, including the placement of a
disproportionate number of Roma children in special schools; that
legislation be strengthened to prohibit racist organizations; and that
Slovakia undertake legislative reform to safeguard the enjoyment,
without any type of discrimination, by all segments of the population,
of economic, social and cultural rights.

-- 
==============================================================
MINELRES - a forum for discussion on minorities in Central&Eastern
Europe

Submissions: [email protected]  
Subscription/inquiries: [email protected] 
List archive: http://www.riga.lv/minelres/archive.htm
==============================================================