A/HRC/4/9/Add.2
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(i)
In working with children from disadvantaged backgrounds;
(ii)
On how to help non-minority children overcome their racial prejudice
and resentment;
(iii)
On how to deal with hate speech in the classroom.
Employment
97.
In order to fashion appropriate policy initiatives, the Government must more
proactively confront the important factor of racial discrimination that operates against
Roma in the labour market.
(a)
The Government should robustly enforce and monitor the provisions of the
Equal Treatment and Promotion of Equality Act which requires public organizations,
including government offices, of more than 50 employees to establish and implement an
equal opportunities plan and to recruit Roma workers. This legislation should be extended
to all private and foreign owned organizations.
(b)
The equal opportunities plans should include specific goals and timetables
for corrective measures and implementation should be proactively monitored and
evaluated on an annual basis by the Equal Treatment Authority. Their implementation
should be evaluated based on a results framework, that is, to what extent there has been a
change in the profile of the workforce. Achieving an ethnically balanced workforce should
be the responsibility of the employer.
(c)
The Equal Treatment Authority should use a “carrot and stick” approach to
motivate employers to comply; using its authority to investigate and impose penalties
where they find non-compliance and finding ways to offer technical and financial
assistance where that would be an incentive.
(d)
Sophisticated employment training programmes that target disadvantaged
communities are welcome and should be expanded by government and private employers.
Training should be for skilled work as well as unskilled, and should be paired with job
placement services that include placement for people with vocational or secondary school
education.
(e)
The Government should put a particular focus on outreach to the more than
30 per cent of jobless Roma women for employment training and job placement.
Housing
98.
Regarding housing, the Independent Expert makes the following recommendations:
(a)
A government-funded rehabilitation programme for Roma housing should
be continued and expanded to address the urgent housing needs of many communities.
This scheme should include wider community rehabilitation initiatives, including the
provision of contracts to Roma businesses, and the training and employment of community
members;