Report is critical of gov't Roma policy

A visit by Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Thomas Hammarberg has produced a report criticizing the official discourse about the country's Roma minority, continued segregation in schools and housing, as well as continued delays in creating institutions to combat racism.

Hammarberg visited in November 2010 and conducted interviews with a number of government officials, the NGO community and activists (see "Expert eyes school discrimination," News, Nov. 24-30, 2010). While he insisted the visit was routine, he also confirmed that he was following up specifically on a 2007 European Court of Human Rights ruling that found Roma children were systematically diverted into special education programs. 

On that front, Hammarberg concluded that "many Roma children in the Czech Republic continue to receive low quality education, because they are disproportionately represented in schools for children with mental disabilities or find themselves segregated in Roma-only schools or classes, where teaching standards are lower."

He concluded that despite the 2007 court ruling, "little has changed on the ground."

"Anti-Roma discourse is still common among mainstream politicians at both the national and local level," Hammarberg writes in another section of his report, which was released March 3.

"The media, both broadcasting and print, and especially the Internet, continue to provide a platform for anti-Gypsyism."

The report singled out as positive developments the banning of the far-right Workers Party, the official expression of regret for forced sterilization of Roma women in November 2009 and the convictions of those involved in the infamous Vítkov arson attack that left a 2-year-old girl scarred for life.

Though it offers some striking criticisms, some in the activist community are saying the report does not go far enough, even accusing the government of misleading Hammarberg during his visit.

"I was amazed to see that the government told the commissioner that 'legislation clearly defining the requirements of free, prior and informed consent with regard to sterilization' is slated for adoption by midyear," said Gwendolyn Albert, a longtime human rights activist who also advised Hammarberg on potential interviewees during his visit. "When the Czech government reported to the UN on that issue last fall, the head of the delegation estimated that such legislation would probably not be adopted until 2014."

Prime Minister Petr Nečas' government has received criticism for a number of moves on human rights policy. Among them was the downgrading of the Human Rights and Minorities Ministry to a committee level. The widely praised minister in two previous governments, Michael Kocáb, initially stayed on as head of the committee but was then forced out completely in September 2010, and the post remained vacant until February.

Albert also criticized the government's answers to inquiries about potential compensation for a spate of forced sterilizations of Roma women. In the report, the government said a separate government committee is set to advise on the issue.

"Which committee is this?" Albert asked. "Several advisory bodies to the government have already recommended it compensate the victims of forced sterilization, as did the ombudsman, the United Nations and the Council of Europe. Is more advice really needed, or is this just the usual stalling tactic that the government always takes when communicating with human rights oversight bodies?"

The Council of Europe is an intergovernmental body that cooperates with but operates separately from the European Union. It has 47 members as opposed to the EU's 27. While the council promotes European integration and enjoys a great deal of influence in human rights policy, it has no binding enforcement mechanism.

Benjamin Cunningham can be reached at
bcunningham@praguepost.com