Tough Times in Slovakia

For Traveller, Gypsy and Roma children, the difficulties of a one-size-fits-all approach to education have been well known for centuries.

Here in the UK, it takes a constant, united effort from Gypsy communities and Traveller Education Services to improve the situation. The dedication of teachers and families working as a team brings the light at the end of the tunnel closer by the day.

Getting Gypsy history onto the National Curriculum is one of the toughest tasks of all.

But elsewhere in Europe, the problems are on a completely different scale.

Across the Balkans, Roma children still risk being placed in schools for mentally handicapped children regardless of their ability. The mere fact that they are Roma is taken as evidence that they are mentally inferior to the surrounding population.

This short film from Amnesty International provides a glimpse of the daily challenges faced by Slovakia's Roma community. And while it reminds us of the struggles for integration we face here in the UK, it should also serve to inform us, in some ways, about how lucky we are.