Parallel Lives: Roma denied rights to housing and water in Slovenia

Amnesty International, 2011, 65 pages

Almost 100 per cent of the population in Slovenia has access to safe drinking water, but some Romani communities have to fetch their water - for drinking, cooking and personal hygiene - from polluted streams, or from the public taps at petrol stations and cemeteries, sometimes kilometres away from their homes.

The lack of access to water and sanitation, however, is only part of the grossly inadequate housing conditions for many Romani communities in Slovenia at large. Most Roma live in isolated and segregated Roma-only settlements or slums and they lack security of tenure. The very poor living conditions in many settlements adversely affect other human rights. People are frequently ill. Children do not go to school, afraid of being teased about their smell. Smiliarly, adults face difficulties in finding work.

Yet, many Romani families have no option but to live in such conditions. Other communities and local authorities block their attempts to buy or rent housng, making it more difficult to move to houses or flats outside Roma-only settlements.

The Slovenian government still falls short of fulfilling its human rights obligations. Slovenia has the expertise, experience and resourcees to ensure that Romani communities enjoy the same human rights as the rest of the Slovenian poupulation.

Also available as PDF at amnesty.org.