Rights groups: Slovakia discriminates against Roma kids

BRATISLAVA, Slovakia – Rights groups say Slovakia has failed to end the discrimination of Roma children in the country’s education system.

In a joint report published on Friday, Amnesty International and the European Roma Rights Center say Romani children are over-represented in the schools for the mentally disabled and are placed in segregated classrooms or schools.

The groups say the Romani children receive poor education, condemning them to live in poverty and seclusion.

The European Union previously issued a warning to Slovakia, and to Hungary and the Czech Republic, about the discrimination. However, the report says “Romani children remain trapped in a vicious cycle of poverty, marginalization and despair.”

The groups have called on the EU “to push Slovakia to bring its policies in line with EU law on race discrimination.”