Slovenia - 2012
Is there evidence of particular difficulties faced by migrant/minority groups in purchasing or renting property of their choice?
- Code:
- RED72
- Key Area:
- Housing & Segregation
- Strand(s):
- Discrimination, Equality
| Short Answer |
Yes, there is evidence on difficulties of the Roma to buy or rent property. |
| Qualitative Info |
According to Amnesty International there are numerous documented cases when Roma families tried to purchase or rent property in order to secure their housing rights, but their attempts were blocked either by local communities or by individuals leaving these communities.
In one case in 2001 a president of a local community was found guilty of incitement to hatreat, violence and intolerance because he hosted a meeting after he was notified that a person of a Roma origin bought property in the village. At the meeting the participants voted for a decision that the buyer was not welcome at the village. Afterwards the petition was being singned among the villagers supporting the decision accepted at the meeting. The defendants – the president who had prepared and signed the minutes of the meeting and another resident who had collected the signatures – were convicted with a sanction of suspended imprisonment.
In 2006 an eviction of the Roma family Strojan took place. The eviction was demanded by a mob and assisted by the state. The family was evicted even though they resided on land owned by them, in a house that was not legally built. The case was extensively reported in a Human Rights Ombudsman Report for the year 2008. See also case studies on Slovenia on this portal.
Source: Parallel lives. Roma denied rights to housing and Water in Slovenia, report, Amnesty International, 2011, available at http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR68/005/2011. Judgment of a County Court Ilirska Bistrica, no. K 50/99 of 31. 12. 2001. Human Rights Ombudsman Report for the year 2008, available at http://www.varuh-rs.si/fileadmin/user_upload/pdf/lp/Varuh_LP-2008.pdf. |
| Groups affected/interested | Roma & Travelers |
| Type (R/D) | Anti-roma/zinghanophobia |
| Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas | Housing |
| External Url | http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR68/005/2011 |
| Situation(s) |
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| Library |
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| Short Answer |
Yes, there is evidence on difficulties of the Roma to buy or rent property. |
| Qualitative Info |
The Human Rights Ombudsman dealt with at least one case of housing-related discrimination in 2012. The case concerned a Roma family which moved from a municipality of their residence, namely a Roma settlement, to another municipality, where they bought a house in a non-Roma residential area. The locals gathered to discuss possible solutions aimed at preventing the Roma to move to their neighbourhood. According to the Ombudsman, in the light of constitutional rights, including the right of individuals to freely choose their residence, especially worrying were public promises made by mayors of the municipalities to the locals that they would undertake to convince the Roma family to return to their former place of residence. The Ombudsman further established that such promises only represents support to the intolerance on the part of the local residents, and that the case exhibits signs of direct discrimination on the grounds of ethnic origin. Source:
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| Groups affected/interested | Roma & Travelers |
| Type (R/D) | Anti-roma/zinghanophobia |
| Key socio-economic / Institutional Areas | Housing |
| External Url | http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/EUR68/005/2011 |
| Situation(s) |
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| Library |
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