E/CN.4/2000/16/Add.1 page 6 school without primary school qualifications, since education completed at special schools is not considered as completed primary education, nor is completion of a grade lower than eighth. Uncompleted primary education makes studies at secondary school impossible and even precludes attainment of a qualification in regular apprenticeship. The lack of qualifications among adult Roma is one of the main reasons for their difficulties finding jobs, their dependence on social benefits, and the general marginalization of the entire Roma community. Over time, this “parallel” system of education has separated Roma children from the majority of Czech children from their earliest age, which is hardly conducive to social harmony between the different components of the Czech population. 3. Racial prejudice and cases of racial discrimination 16. Over and above economic and social factors, the situation of the Roma is the result of age-old prejudices which are widespread among the population and of certain practices by State officials. The Roma are generally regarded as “dirty”, “noisy”, “thieving” and “lazy”. While some Roma do resort to crime to meet their needs (mainly in the form of theft, receiving stolen goods and prostitution), the Roma population as a whole is considered to be criminal, or even naturally or genetically predisposed to crime. The media contribute to propagating an image that is extremely damaging to the integration of the Roma minority. 17. For most Czechs it is impossible to reconcile aspects of the Roma way of life and culture with the majority culture (the persistence of nomadism to some extent; a traditional way of life in which the community, under the authority of a patriarch, takes precedence over the individual; early marriage of Roma children; the status of girls and women who have no formal education and are primarily destined for marriage). Somatic differences (the Roma seem to be darker-skinned than the rest of the population) may also lie at the root of the psychological and physical distance between the Roma and the majority of the population. The Roma for their part mark their own distance from the majority, who are referred to as gadjo (which means “white” but in a pejorative sense). 18. On occasion Roma are not served in restaurants or are not allowed into discotheques. Discotheque owners bypass the law by putting up a sign to the effect that their establishment is a private club for members only. When Roma apply for membership, however, they generally obtain no reply. 4. Racist violence 19. Anti-Roma violence comes primarily from extreme right-wing movements. Several extreme right-wing groups have been active in the Czech Republic since 1990 (there are 5 to 6,000 estimated skinheads). They organize street parades, meetings and concerts and attack the Roma, Jews and foreigners both verbally and physically. These organizations also circulate racist publications. 20. It was between 1990 and 1993 that racist violence caused most victims, but since the Government had not paid any attention to the phenomenon, the data are not exact. The authorities believe that 11 out of every 13 persons who have died in racist attacks since 1990 are Roma. The most tragic cases are the following: