CVEK

This report was prepared by a consortium of seven Roma and pro-Roma NGOs under the leadership of CVEK. The report  welcomes the willingness of state authorities to adopt systemic legislative and policy measures with the potential to facilitate inclusion of disadvantaged Roma, including a new bankruptcy regulation, new regulations simplifying legalisation of parcels underneath Roma settlements, or the introduction of free universal lunch for children in their final preschool year in kindergarten and through elementary school. However, the report raises concerns that especially in housing and education, at best, there are efforts to improve living standards and education through housing and schools for Roma. Both residential segregation and various forms of segregation of Roma children experienced from early age until their secondary school studies remain the practices most ignored by state authorities. Furthermore, as illustrated through cases of poor school attendance among disadvantaged students and workfare programmes, state authorities should focus on addressing the complex social and structural causes of problems rather than blaming and sanctioning those with few opportunities to help themselves, thereby reinforcing their exclusion trap. Finally, the design of policies, monitoring and evaluation, and data collection all require the adoption of an intersectional perspective considering the particularly vulnerable situation of Roma women and children.