Discrimination against Roma Many Roma continued to be caught in
a cycle of marginalization and poverty. In November, the
European Commission called on Slovakia to take concrete measures
on the ground to “bridge segregation” and to end discrimination
against Romani children in education. Several Slovak Members of
the European Parliament also urged their government to deal with
segregation of Roma in housing and schooling, which they
referred to as a “time bomb”. Huge numbers of Romani children
were still being placed unnecessarily in special schools and
classes for children with mental disabilities and learning
difficulties, where they followed a reduced curriculum which
gave little possibility for reintegrating into mainstream
schools or advancing to secondary education. Others were
segregated in Roma-only mainstream schools across the country.
Poor housing conditions, physical and cultural isolation,
poverty and lack of transport continued to hinder Romani
children’s ability to attend school. The persistent