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The League of Human Rights Advocates (LHRA) in Slovakia developed a network from the minority Roma population to serve as human rights monitors. The monitors learn about their own rights under national and international law. The LHRA and the network of monitors then work to enforce those rights in their own town halls, police stations, schools and communities. The information from local monitors is used to present the impact of national and international laws in the country. The League of Human Rights Advocates (LHRA) in Slovakia developed a network from the minority Roma population to serve as human rights monitors. The monitors learn about their own rights under national and international law. The LHRA and the network of monitors then work to enforce those rights in their own town halls, police stations, schools and communities. The information from local monitors is used to present the impact of national and international laws in the country.

The constitution of the Slovak Republic gives priority over the domestic laws to international human rights treaties ratified and promulgated into law by its Parliament. This provides a sound legal basis for LHRA’s work, as it allows for direct application of international human rights treaties in deciding cases before domestic courts and administrative institutions.  The network of monitors was established to encourage implementation of human rights treaties at the local level.

The monitoring network is divided into eight regions, based on Slovakia’s regions. Regional coordinators, in cooperation with LHRA headquarters, recruit and train monitors, all of whom serve on a volunteer basis. Although the number of monitors at any given time fluctuates, it hovers around 48 (six per district). As far as is practical, decision-making powers are decentralized. Local and regional monitors work with local authorities to solve problems, bringing in LHRA headquarters (located in the capital, Bratislava) when a serious violation has occurred or when local authorities will not cooperate.

LHRA trains the monitors, informing them of relevant human rights instruments and the authorities within the government that are responsible for implementation.  This includes all administrative and judicial staff.  Before the monitors are sent out to identify and report violations, LHRA arranges meetings with local authorities, including the police, mayors, community leaders, and other government contacts at the local and regional level.  

The monitors in each region discover, investigate and report on violations of or failures to implement the law, and offer direct support to victims. The LHRA headquarters provides legal representation, participates in the investigation of human rights violations and negotiates with local or central authorities on major human rights issues.   Headquarters staff will conduct fact-finding missions on the implementation of international human rights law in some selected regions and districts based on the information received from the local monitors. Before doing so, the LHRA sends an advance letter to inform the relevant authorities of what we intend to look for during the monitoring.

The monitoring may be addressing a number of different issues, including, (a) the participation of Roma in the political process, (b) the unemployment rate among the Roma, (c) living conditions, (d) education levels, (e) health care facilities, (f) occurrences of racially motivated physical violence against the Roma and (g) access to social amenities and facilities. LHRA synthesizes all the monitors’ work into regular national reports as well as special publications and submissions for relevant occasions or meetings. It also publishes its own periodical, the Human Rights Reporter.

Due to the actions taken by the monitors, the League has been successful in improving human rights adherence at the grassroots level.  Their attention to poorly implemented policies has forced the country to re-evaluate and adjust how it executes human rights legislature.  By revealing inadequate policies and how they adversely affect the population, the government is pressured to broadly observe its international human rights commitments and extensively protect and respect the basic rights of its citizens.  In addition, since LHRA monitors are themselves Roma activists living in Roma communities, the LHRA training process empowers them and their communities to understand and stand up for their rights.

The implementation of this tactic requires a basic understanding of international human rights law on the part of the monitors, including the instruments that a particular state has signed or ratified.  In order to be successful, it is also important to consider how the coordinating agency will ensure the safety of the monitors as well as the objectivity of their reporting.