International Action to Prevent Discrimination: The Situation of the Roma Community in the Field of Education

This article discusses why recent discriminatory incidents against the Roma community, one of the biggest minorities in Europe, rise in racism and anti-Roma hate speech in public discourse concerns international organizations. The first part of this article briefly outlines human rights bodies’ definition and regulation on the principle of equality and non-discrimination generally and in particular with regard to Roma education. The second part compares recent international human rights’ conclusions on Croatia, the Czech Republic, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, and Slovakia with regard to the human rights developments of the Roma minority, and to the implementation of their national anti-discrimination legislation. In addition, the latter traces the debate on the access of Roma children to education in those countries, as well as reviews the European Court of Human Rights' case law, in particular with regard to two cases of Roma segregated education in Croatia and the Czech Republic. Finally, some conclusions are drawn as to how overcome the vicious circle of poverty and discrimination faced by the Roma population, in particular in the field of Roma education.