Legal handbooks
Strategic litigation of race directive in Europe: from principles to practice
(Last modified: 2004-08-23 13:36:06)
On 29 June 2000, the European Union (EU) adopted the Race Equality Directive. The legal protection of racial minorities required by the Race Equality Directive is groundbreaking. What are arguably the highest legislative standards against race discrimination internationally are now required of all States in the EU. Accordingly, the coming years promise exciting opportunities to advance the rights of racial minorities in Europe and litigation will be an important part of this.
Housing Rights Manual for Roma Rights Activists in Slovakia
(Last modified: 2004-08-23 13:36:06)
The ERRC, in cooperation with project partner Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) and the Milan Simecka Foundation (MSF) have developed a resource manual as a guide for Romani housing rights activists and for those interested in becoming involved in housing rights issues, and/or for use as a resource during training programmes. The manual was prepared as part of a project implemented with support from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the British Government.
The manual provides information, articles and activities, which will transfer to the user, within the specific context of housing issues faced by Roma in Slovakia:
  • An understanding of the various components of the right to adequate housing and economic and social rights generally;

  • Knowledge of relevant international and domestic legal standards pertaining to the protection and promotion of the right to adequate housing;

  • An understanding of the inter-relatedness between housing rights violations and other human rights violations, particularly violations of economic, social and cultural rights;

  • Expertise in various thematic areas related to housing rights, including women’s housing rights, forced eviction, and housing and property restitution;

  • A practical guide to the different activities that housing rights activists and others can employ to ensure access to adequate for housing for Roma, including:


  • Monitoring;

  • Documentation;

  • Domestic and International Advocacy; and

  • Legal Action.


  • The manual includes, in the appendix, translations of the relevant international and European legal standards and documents pertaining to the right to housing, which will serve as a useful resource in the housing rights activities in which you engage in the future.

    The Manual is available in English here:  View it (MSWord doc format)!
    And in Slovak here:  View it (Acrobat pdf format)!

    The manual incorporates curriculum developed by the Canadian Human Rights Foundation, whose contribution is gratefully acknowledged.
      European Commission
    Foreign and Commonwealth Office of the United Kingdom
    Hungarian National Civil Fund (NCA)Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs
    Open Society InstituteThe Sigrid Rausing Trust
    Swedish International Development Agency

    The ERRC was the recepient of the Max van der Stoel Award (2007)
    and the Geuzenpenning Award (The Geuzen medal of honour) (2001).

    © ERRC 2007.
    All rights reserved