INTEGRATION

International recommendations to Latvia concerning Roma minority      European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (Council of Europe) Third report on Latvia CRI(2008)2 74. ECRI strongly encourages the Latvian authorities to continue to take all necessary measures to assist members of Roma communities in obtaining employment. It is imperative that such a policy to facilitate employment for Roma be accompanied by measures to prohibit any discriminatory conduct by employers who refuse to take on Roma on the grounds of their ethnic origin. 75. ECRI strongly recommends that the Latvian authorities take steps to combat racial discrimination against Roma with regard to access to public places and access to goods and services, ensuring in particular that any discriminatory act in these areas is duly remedied. The authorities should take measures to sanction racial profiling and any other form of racial discrimination by the police against Roma. 76. ECRI urges the Latvian authorities to reinforce their efforts, in conjunction with Roma communities, to encourage regular school attendance by Roma children and to tackle the problem of the high school drop-out rate. In particular, ECRI recommends that the Latvian authorities take steps to close any remaining special classes for Roma and to find solutions to integrate Roma students in mainstream classes. In this respect, ECRI recommends that the Latvian authorities pursue and step up their efforts to promote Roma culture and the Romani language among teachers and pupils. 77. ECRI strongly recommends that the Latvian authorities duly implement and reinforce where necessary the National Action Plan on Roma in Latvia (2007-2009). The authorities should provide all necessary human and financial resources to this end. They should consider adopting an all-encompassing long-term national strategy to combat the social exclusion of Roma. http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/ecri/1-ecri/2-country-by-country_approach/latvia/latvia_cbc_3.asp       Commissioner for Human Rights (Council of Europe)   Memorandum to the Latvian Government  CommDH(2007)9     Summary of Recommendations  The Commissioner recommends the Latvian authorities: (..)16) To carry out the national action plan for the Roma to put an end to all types of discrimination against them. https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1134279&Site=CommDH&BackColorInternet=FEC65B&BackColorIntranet=FEC65B&BackColorLogged=FFC679#P425_70374       Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination xenophobia and related intolerance (UN)   Report??™s addendum: Mission to Latvia A/HRC/7/19/Add.3   05.03.2008.   91. Particular attention should be granted to the vulnerable situation of the Roma community. The Government should reinforce its National Action Plan ???Roma in Latvia 2007-2009???, aiming at both promoting and respecting their cultural identity and living cultural expressions and at eradicating the deep cultural stigma affecting the community, their social and economic marginalization, particularly the poor educational attainment of Roma children and the drastically high unemployment rates among Roma citizens. The programme should also have a strong component that focuses on sensitizing society at large to Roma history and traditions, including their fate during the Holocaust, in order to eliminate the negative stigma and stereotypes constantly associated with the Roma. http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrcouncil/7session/reports.htm     Human Rights Committee (UN) Concluding observations: Latvia. 06/11/2003. CCPR/CO/79/LVA   21. The Committee is concerned about the social and economic situation of the Roma minority and its impact on the full enjoyment of their rights under the Covenant, as well as the potentially negative effect on them of the present regulations regarding the entry of ethnic origin in passports and identity documents. (Articles 2, 26, 27). The State party should take steps to remove obstacles to the practical enjoyment by the Roma of their rights under the Covenant, and, in particular, abolish the provisions allowing for entry of ethnic origin in passports and identity documents.   http://www.unhchr.ch/tbs/doc.nsf/(Symbol)/CCPR.CO.79.LVA.En?Opendocument     Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (UN)   Concluding observations: Latvia. 07.01.2008. (session in 2007) E/C.12/LVA/CO/1   56. The Committee urges the State party to continue to take effective measures to increase school attendance by Roma children, including, inter alia, through allocation of scholarships and the recruitment of additional school personnel from among the Roma community. The Committee requests the State party to provide, in its next periodic report, information on the results of the National Programme on Roma in Latvia (2007-2009), including measures taken in the field of education.