E/CN.4/2000/16/Add.1 page 31 136. The Romaversitas programme of the Foundation, which is considered as a model initiative in complementary higher education, provides intellectual and financial support for college and university students of Roma origin. The Foundation’s “invisible college” is a tutorial system involving scholars and scientists and supports students with special grants; the Foundation also sponsors the Free University, where vocational skills are taught by experts and specialists in various fields. A student centre for undergraduates provides an environment with computers and other office equipment. 137. The Legal Defence Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities (NEKI) has been a pioneer in providing legal assistance to the victims of racism and discrimination. Since it was set up in 1993, it has provided an accurate picture of racial discrimination in Hungary on the basis of the cases it has studied. Its annual reports on cases of racial discrimination are authoritative and its recommendations to the Government with a view to strengthening legislation against racial discrimination deserve close attention. NEKI considers that there are currently no adequate legal sanctions for racially motivated petty offences (abuse, duress, harassment, etc.) committed in connection with the victim’s national, ethnic, racial or religious identity; nor are there any proper criminal sanctions for discriminatory acts causing psychological injuries such as humiliation. Therefore, NEKI has suggested that the following steps should be taken: an anti-discrimination act should be passed; an adequate system of sanctions, which would be suitable for the prevention of discriminatory acts and the effective punishment of offenders, should be developed; and an effective institutional system should be set up to guarantee the implementation of the anti-discrimination act and the above-mentioned sanctions. 138. Together with other organizations, the European Roma Rights Centre and the Hungarian Helsinki Committee have often pressured the police and local authorities to change their attitudes. These organizations have taken part in various investigations into the forms and manifestations of discrimination, which have helped to advance official thinking on how to deal with the problem and which have contributed to the search for more suitable methods. 139. The Roma Parliament sees itself as an organization offering an alternative to the “effective non-representation” of the Roma in local and national bodies: it pursues a political and cultural policy designed to strengthen the identity and unity of the Roma. It also provides courses on politics for its supporters and publishes a magazine called Amaro Drom to publicize Roma culture. The Roma Parliament complains that it is ignored by the Government and regrets that it does not receive any subsidies like other Roma organizations. IV. CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 140. This mission report, while quite general in nature, aims to highlight the problems faced by the Roma in this part of Europe and to give the Commission some information on efforts by the three Governments to help them. The Czech Republic, Romania and Hungary were chosen because of the resource and time constraints within which the Special Rapporteur had to work and not because of any desire to stigmatize these countries for problems that are of a regional nature. Nevertheless, the mission has made comparisons possible: while there are many similarities in the situation of the Roma population in all three countries, there are also differences. It has been seen that prejudice against the Roma is the same in the Czech Republic as in Romania and Hungary but, whereas violence against them is under control in Romania, it