A/HRC/7/19/Add.4 page 16 III. VIEWS OF CIVIL SOCIETY AND COMMUNITIES CONCERNED A. Concerns in response to State policies and measures 51. Representatives of civil society organizations and representatives of ethnic minorities expressed a different view from that of State officials concerning racism and discrimination in Lithuania. The Special Rapporteur’s civil society interlocutors, including human rights organizations that make systematic monitoring of racism, have expressed their concern regarding a marked increase of intolerance in Lithuania in the past years. In particular, they referred to the growing activity of extremists, including neo-Nazi groups, and their involvement in acts of physical and verbal aggressions that have taken place in some specific regions, including Klaipeda, where an important international university is located. 52. According to representatives of civil society, the most direct victims of intolerance are visually different minorities, especially non-European migrants, and the Roma community. Examples of physical attacks against individuals belonging to these minorities, including foreign students, have been brought to the Special Rapporteur’s attention by NGOs, lawyers and victims themselves. 53. Although many civil society representatives expressed a positive assessment concerning the existing legal and institutional framework, they pointed to a number of areas where improvements could take place. In particular, a transposition of the full provisions of the European Union Race Directive was mentioned as a desired outcome that would guarantee additional protection to vulnerable groups and facilitate litigation of racism cases. Some NGOs also expressed their belief that Lithuania should make a declaration under article 14 of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, allowing for individual petitions to CERD, in order to strengthen the legal mechanisms to fight racism and discrimination. Finally, on the domestic level, civil society organizations requested a strengthening of the role of the Ombudsperson, particularly the implementation of her recommendations. In their view, the enforceability of these recommendations and in particular the sanctions for non-compliance should be strengthened. B. Views of the Roma community 54. The Special Rapporteur visited the largest Roma settlement in Lithuania (Kirtimai), in the outskirts of Vilnius, to receive first-hand information concerning the situation of the Roma community. In the settlement, he visited a Roma Community Centre that is funded by the Department of National Minorities and Lithuanians Living Abroad and that functions as preparatory school for Roma children living in the area. The Special Rapporteur met with local community leaders, visited households and had discussions with a number of families in order to hear their concerns regarding their present situation. 55. During his visit to the Roma settlement, the Special Rapporteur noted the precarity of living conditions, especially housing, to which the community is exposed. In particular, he noted the lack of electricity and heating as well as drinking water and sanitation in many houses, reportedly due to an inability of some families to pay the fees for public utilities. These families often have to rely on firewood as a source of heating, which is subsidized by the municipal authorities. Some of the dwellings are also overcrowded, with several families living together.