The Debrecin Court of Appeal ruled in its final decision that from 2004 to 2017 Roma students at Gyöngyöspat Primary School were separated, and that this segregation violated their rights.
The Hungarian government has appealed a court ruling ordering to pay damages to Roma children who were victims of segregation.
This form of segregation has been going on for many years in Gyöngyöspat in northwestern Hungary.
Human Resources Minister Bence Rétvári said at a news conference Wednesday that the primary and appeals courts "ignored the evidence" presented by the school and the local community.
That evidence allegedly proved that no harm had been done to the victims of this discrimination.
He said the government was ready to take over the legal obligation and offer the damaged "Training Courses" or "Educational Program" to the damaged. These programs will be in a non-financed form of compensation, as the government is against cash payments.
How this all started. In 2011, when Commissioner for Minority Rights Ernő Kállai released a report stating that Roma pupils were physically segregated at the Nekcesi Demeter Elementary School in Gyöngyöspat
The documentation states that Roma children in primary school were separated from non-Roma children. Children were even illegally separated in swimming lessons.
Based on these documents, the Children's Chance Foundation (CFCF) filed a lawsuit. The Eger Basic Court in 2012 ruled that these students were being provided poorer services.
The court also decided to discontinue the practice in the following school year.
The aforementioned judgment was later upheld by both the Metropolitan and the Supreme Court. They also claimed compensation for those Roma children.
The Debrecin Court of Appeal ruled in its final decision that between 2004 and 2017 Roma children were educated separately and the court ruled that the school and the local community would have to pay a total of 100 million forints (300,000 euros) in damages.
Link: http://www.portal-udar.net/madjarska-ne-zeli-platiti-odstetu-romima-zrtvama-segregacije/
