freedom of movement, and freedom of residence, as well as their rights to equal treatment and
non-discrimination in the areas of health, education, and work.
The problem is that this selective and collective targeting of Roma with anti-coronavirus
measures was carried out in the “formally” and “institutionally” inclusive national context of
an EU member state. This demonstrates the state’s failure to implement de jure guaranteed
rights for all, and especially for members of the Roma minority.
I welcome the Forum's attention to the issues of equality and inclusion of minorities into
societies, and I urge the UN to address the implications of the pandemic for Roma minorities,
especially their equal access to rights.
I recommend that the affected persons by illegal and discriminative measures in MRCs should
have the right to legal remedy, and appropriate compensation for wrongful acts inflicted on
them. As well, I call the government of Slovakia to officially apologize to them.
References:
Surová, Svetluša. Forthcoming. Targeting Marginalized Roma Communities in Slovakia: An
Analysis of Official Acts during the COVIDD-19 Pandemic, Book Chapter for 'The State We're
In' an edited volume prepared by the chief editor Prof. Christi van der Westhuizen (D.Phil.)
from Nelson Mandela University, South Africa and her colleagues.
Surová, Svetluša, 2023, "Database of the official acts of Regional Offices of Public Health
(ROPH) targeting Marginalized Roma Communities (MRCs) in the first and second wave of
the COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia", https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/IVNES9, Harvard
Dataverse, V1
Surová, Svetluša. 2022. "Securitization and militarized quarantine of Roma settlements during
the first wave of COVID-19 pandemic in Slovakia", Citizenship Studies, DOI:
10.1080/13621025.2022.2131070