A/HRC/10/11/Add.3 page 25 96. With respect to the Roma population the government is displaying admirable good will in developing positive policies coordinated at the inter-Ministerial level through the “Integrated Action Programme on Roma.” While some of those policies may raise questions of viability or appropriateness at a conceptual level, significant problems of implementation exist at the local level. 97. Many Roma remain in squalid living conditions with their children either in segregated schools or unable to access educational opportunities due to their identity. Roma face severe impediments to their rights to housing and against forced evictions. Their access to public services - from public transportation to clean drinking water - is denied by discriminatory actions by local officials. Discrimination in employment circumscribes their job possibilities to the most menial and dirty in the informal sector. The European Court of Human Rights has recently issued judgments against Greece in cases where the Court found failures to grant to Roma access to justice as defined by international standards and failure to guarantee the right of Roma children not to be unlawfully segregated into inferior schools. 98. The government must ensure that national policies are not subverted or defied by local authorities who find it more convenient to be responsive to local prejudices. With respect to international legal obligations including rights of non-discrimination and equality, domestic constitutional arrangements such as decentralized authority or devolution of powers, do not mitigate state responsibility for violations of human rights. The government should consider models which recognize the principle of national government pre-emption of local authority in matters of compelling state interest such as fundamental rights. Alternative models deny funding to non-compliant localities. The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance has recommended sanctions “on municipal councilors who make racist remarks or do not comply with the regulations and decisions that bind them.” The government must display a stern political will that localities have no option other than to comply with positive national policies. National ministries must then effectively monitor implementation on the local level. 99. The government must take steps immediately to guarantee that universal standards of equality before the law, due process and the right to speedy trials are respected fully with regard to Roma defendants and litigants. 100. The unique issues faced by women from the Roma and the “Muslim” minority are failing to gain the special focus they require. Roma and Muslim women suffer disproportionately high levels of illiteracy and unemployment and are often subjected to norms incompatible with the constitution and international standards - like child marriages and denial of inheritance rights under Sharia Law. Additionally, gender-based violence is not being effectively addressed. Efforts in this regards must be well-grounded in a consultative process with the affected women. 101. The Greek civil courts must exercise effective monitoring of Mufti judicial decisions to guarantee faithful adherence to the guarantees in constitutional and international human rights law.