Council of Europe: Czech Republic violating Social Charter

The European Committee of Social Rights has concluded that the Czech Republic has violated the European Social Charter in failing to provide sufficient access to housing, health care and education to the Roma minority. The committee which dealt with a complaint by the European Roma and Travellers Forum said the Czech Republic has violated articles 11 and 16 of the Social Charter. The ERTF complained that Roma in the Czech Republic face lack of accessible housing, residential segregation, inadequate living conditions and forced evictions as well as discrimination in education through the practice of placing many Roma children in schools for pupils with learning disabilities. The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muižnieks, has urged the Czech prime minister to urgently address these issues.