Abstract
Vast majority of Roma people in Slovakia, the country’s biggest ethnic minority, live below the poverty line. Their unemployment rates are extremely high, education levels low, and aver-age life span much shorter than of the majority population. This situation was largely caused by past discriminatory policies of the Slovak government and ongoing discriminatory practic-es. The purpose of this study is to explore whether Slovakia has a duty to provide reparations to the Roma minority. This issue was addressed through factual and legal analysis of the situation of the Roma within the Slovak society, structured into four sectors – housing, employ-ment, education and health. The current situation of the Roma is combined with historical point of view, which allows better understanding of some of the roots of ethnic discrimination in Slovakia. The subsequent legal analysis puts the earlier discussion into the context of reparations. The final chapter demonstrates that the Slovak government has a duty to provide collective reparations to the Roma minority for the past harms which have ongoing consequences today, as well as for current systemic discrimination, constituting gross violations of human rights.