Caring for Thirst: Challenges to Access to Water in Slovakia through a Legal Lens

Authors

  • Adam Máčaj Assistant professor (on leave), Comenius University, Faculty of Law, Bratislava, Slovakia
  • Maroš Matiaško Assistant professor, Palacky University, Faculty of Law, Olomouc, Czechia; Postdoctoral researcher, Charles University, Faculty of Humanities, Prague, Czechia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29098/crs.v7i1.72

Keywords:

environmental justice, legal remedies, right to water, Roma, Slovakia

Abstract

This article provides an assessment of segregated Romani communities’ access to water in Slovakia. It combines philosophical and human rights perspectives and focuses on obstacles communities encounter when pursuing access to safe drinking water through
the context of law, whether national legislation, EU legislation, or international human rights. This article aims to establish the case
of racial discrimination against Roma in Slovakia through the lens of the environmental justice and especially water precarity. This
contribution also explores international standards concerning the right to access water from the perspective of vulnerability, arguing
that specific populations living in precarious situations should have an unconditional right to water.

Author Biographies

  • Adam Máčaj, Assistant professor (on leave), Comenius University, Faculty of Law, Bratislava, Slovakia

    In his academic research, Adam Máčaj, PhD, focuses on the European Union law in connection with the rule of law and international protection of human rights. He is a holder of a PhD in European Union law, a Fulbright alumnus, and currently works as an assistant lawyer at the European Court of Human Rights. The opinions presented here are solely his own.

  • Maroš Matiaško, Assistant professor, Palacky University, Faculty of Law, Olomouc, Czechia; Postdoctoral researcher, Charles University, Faculty of Humanities, Prague, Czechia

    Maroš Matiaško, PhD, is a human rights expert who focuses on Roma rights, the right to care, and the rights of vulnerable people. A graduate of Palacký University in Czechia and Utrecht University in the Netherlands, he co-founded the Forum for Human Rights and worked at the Registry of the European Court of Human Rights. He teaches human rights at Olomouc Law Faculty. Maroš Matiaško has contributed to human rights advocacy through litigation, education, and legal reforms.

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Published

04/29/2025

Issue

Vol. 7 No. 1 (2024): Roma and Environmental Justice in Europe

Section

Articles

License

Copyright (c) 2025 Adam Macaj, Maros Matiasko

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How to Cite

Caring for Thirst: Challenges to Access to Water in Slovakia through a Legal Lens. (2025). Critical Romani Studies, 7(1), 36-51. https://doi.org/10.29098/crs.v7i1.72