[24/10/07 09:00] "Governments should take positive steps to protect the housing rights of Roma in Europe", said today in a joint statement the Council of Europe's Human Rights Commissioner, Thomas Hammarberg, and the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Adequate Housing, Miloon Kothari. Both the Commissioner and the Special Rapporteur have received an increasing number of reports of evictions of Roma communities which have been carried out in violation of human rights standards.
The statement calls on governments to strengthen their efforts to counter the growing anti-Romani sentiment in Europe and to ensure the effective respect of the right to adequate housing also for Roma.
"These are issues of deep concern for social justice in Europe" said the two top human rights officials. "We are of the view that concerted effort is required at national, local and pan-European level to end the housing crisis of the Roma" they concluded, proposing seven priorities to improve laws, policy and practice.
