A/68/333 Their situation of poverty also restricts school attendance and the drop-out rate within the community is high. For instance, about half of the Roma in the Republic of Moldova live in extreme poverty and face difficulties in accessing appropriate clothing, school lunches for their children, school materials or transportation for the children. 51 On average, in 2011 in Europe, only one out of two Roma children attended pre-school or kindergarten and only 15 per cent of young adults surveyed completed upper-secondary general or vocational education. 52 60. The Special Rapporteur also observes that as a consequence of marginalization a large percentage of the Roma continue to live in substandard and unhealthy housing conditions. Often they do not have security of tenure, and are subjected to forced evictions and sometimes relocated to areas with health hazards. As a result, in 2011, about 90 per cent of Roma surveyed lived below national poverty lines and 45 per cent of them lived in households lacking at least one basic housing amenity such as indoor kitchen, indoor toilet, indoor shower or bath and electricity. 53 61. The Roma also experience difficulties in finding stable employment, and their access to quality and sufficient quantity of food is often limited. This is the direct result of social exclusion which leads to poor dietary choices and instability in accessing food supplies which affect health conditions and increase vulnerability to diseases such as obesity and malnutrition, especially among children. 62. Indeed, with regard to health, the Roma may be one of the most vulnerable groups in Europe and their life expectancy is shorter than the rest of the European population. In 2011, one third of Roma respondents aged 35 to 54 reported health problems limiting their daily activities and about 20 per cent of respondents had no medical coverage. 54 4. Dalits 63. The caste system continues to be the source of discrimination against the Dalits who have a low hierarchical status according to tradition and beliefs. A disproportionate percentage of the Dalits live in abject poverty and face discrimination and exclusion at social, economic and political levels. 55 64. Abuses at school by teachers and fellow students such as corporal punishment, verbal abuse, forced “manual scavenging” or injuries reinforce social alienation and drop-out rates. 56 In some cases, Dalits are not allowed to access the same facilities as non-Dalits, owing to what is referred to as the fear of uncleanliness, untouchability and contagion. 57 Most of the Dalits live in rural areas, and are often excluded from services only available in urban areas. It is estimated that less than __________________ 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 16/22 Council of Europe, Human Rights of Roma and Travellers in Europe (Strasbourg, 2012). UNDP, “Data on Roma”; available from http://europeandcis.undp.org/data/show/D69F01FEF203-1EE9-B45121B12A557E1B. Ibid. Ibid. Joint report on the mission to Bangladesh of the independent expert on the question of human rights and extreme poverty and the independent expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation (A/HRC/15/55 and Corr.1), para. 25. See International Dalit Solidarity Network: Education, at http://idsn.org/castediscrimination/key-issues/education/. See report entitled “Stigma and the realization of the human rights to water and sanitation” (A/HRC/21/42), para. 22. 13-43133