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Roma Fact

In Romania; 31% of the Roma live in very poor conditions, and their homes are very small. 17% of them only have one room. 85% have no sewage system, and 85% are heated using stoves. Only 13% have access to drinking water. 10% have no toilets and in 81% the toilet is located in the courtyard. 24.7% of the Roma have no valid lease document or ownership contract for the houses they inhabit.

— Divers.ro

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Stop Special Schools

For generations, millions of Roma and Sinti people - often referred to as gypsies - have been excluded from mainstream schools in Europe. But the European Court of Human Rights ruled last year that this was discrimination, against the continent's largest ethnic minority.

The verdict was seen by Roma groups as an important tool to fight a practice that is found across Europe - lawsuits have followed in Greece and Croatia, while other countries have taken steps to desegregate classes. Despite this, real change is slow to filter through. The Czechs abolished special schools in 2006 as criticism surrounding the court case grew. Critics say the only change was on the nameplate by the door.

Jim Goldston, the lawyer who represented the plaintiffs on behalf of the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) says the judgement is still a crucial moment. The parents of many of the children in special or sub-standard schools are themselves the products of a discriminatory educational environment. That will affect their children's chances. "So there are problems within many affected communities, but the principal burden rests on government to make clear that discrimination must end."