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111. Schooling of migrant Roma children remains a problem, not only on account of the obstacles
encountered by their families in terms of housing and living conditions, which make access to
education difficult, but also because some municipalities refuse to enrol them in school. A number
of sources have indicated that these refusals are primarily linked to the children's ethnic origin and
are completely unlawful.
112. ECRI regrets to learn from a number of sources that Roma from the countries of Central and
Eastern Europe suffer from a generally hostile climate of opinion, including racist prejudice, which
also targets Travellers. ECRI notes that this prejudice is sometimes conveyed by the media.
Roma are also sometimes the victims of racial discrimination, and even racist violence. A number
of sources consider that the measures taken to combat racism in France do not constitute a
sufficient response to anti-Gypsyism.
113. ECRI recommends that the French authorities continue and reinforce their efforts, in
consultation with Roma and civil society representatives, to identify solutions for improving the
unacceptable living conditions of the Roma families by finding decent housing arrangements and
pay special attention to access to health care and education. In particular, an assessment should
be made of the measures already implemented, such as assistance with voluntary return or the
“integration housing”, with the aim of ensuring that they are fully consistent with the needs of the
persons concerned and taking rapid remedial action to correct any counter-productive impacts if
necessary.
114. ECRI again strongly recommends that the French authorities take steps to prevent all illegal,
forcible expulsions of Roma families from their homes that place Roma families in a desperate
position. In particular it warns against any excessive use of force during such expulsions. (…)”
25.
The Strasbourg Declaration on Roma, adopted by the member states of the
Council of Europe at a High Level Meeting on Roma, Strasbourg, 20 October 2010:
“(5) (…) the member states of the Council of Europe have adopted the following “Strasbourg
Declaration”: (…)
(14) Recalling the obligations of states parties under all relevant Council of Europe legal
instruments which they have ratified, in particular the European Convention on Human Rights and
the Protocols thereto, and, where applicable, the European Social Charter and the Framework
Convention for the Protection of National Minorities and the European Charter for Regional or
Minority Languages;
(15) Recommending that states parties take fully into account the relevant judgments of the
European Court of Human Rights and relevant decisions of the European Committee of Social
Rights, in developing their policies on Roma; (…)
(18) The member states of the Council of Europe agree on the following non-exhaustive list of
priorities, which should serve as guidance for more focused and more consistent efforts at all
levels, including through active participation of Roma:
Non-discrimination
(19) Adopt and effectively implement anti-discrimination legislation, including in the field of
employment, access to justice, the provision of goods and services, including access to housing
and key public services, such as health care and education. (…)