The Slovak Republic is a democratic republic with a President as head of state, a Prime Minister who heads the executive branch and a 150-seat legislature. Periodic free and fair elections are held on the basis of universal suffrage to elect legislature members for 5-year terms. In 2004, the second direct presidential election was accompanied by a referendum on parliamentary elections. There are 23 women in Parliament and 1 woman in the 16-seat Cabinet. The collection of information on ethnicity is prohibited in law, making it impossible to provide information on minority groups in government. However, the Roma are reported as under-represented in government service and in Parliament. The law provides for an independent judiciary, but corruption reportedly persists in the judiciary despite reforms intended to correct the problem.

Discrimination on the basis of race, gender, disability, language or social status is prohibited, and although efforts are made to enforce the legislation some groups continue to suffer discrimination.

Police are accused of failing to thoroughly investigate cases that involve Roma. Police corruption through extortion of bribes is reported. In addition, some reports also note corruption in the health and education sectors.

Freedom of speech and of the press are guaranteed in law and fulfilled in practice. An active media report on a variety of views.

Trafficking in persons is illegal, but reports indicate that Slovakia is a source and transit country for victims trafficked mainly from the former Soviet republics. Roma women and young women raised in state institutions are also vulnerable to trafficking by organised criminal gangs, as are men and women looking for seasonal work abroad. Cooperation is under way with neighbouring countries to combat trafficking.

Anti-Semitism among neo-Nazi groups is reported, despite legislation that prohibits denial of the Holocaust. The Internet is monitored for hate speech. An action plan has been developed to fight discrimination, racism, xenophobia and anti-Semitism. A memorial to Roma victims of the Holocaust (Porrajmos) has been inaugurated.

Education is universal and tuition-free through the postsecondary level and is compulsory to age 16. The primary school attendance rate is approximately 85%. Slovak and ethnic Hungarian children attend school regularly; Roma children have a lower attendance rate, and they make up nearly 25% of the children under 16 enrolled in schools for the mentally disabled. In some special remedial schools nearly all students are reported to be Roma.

A 2004 law requires primary students to receive classes in either ethics or religion. Critics raise concern that some students in rural schools may be pressured to attend religious classes. Government-funded religious schools can remove material inconsistent with Catholic beliefs from the curricula. Teacher in-service training and conferences on minority and human rights issues have been implemented. Secondary school and university curricula promote tolerance.

A 3-year programme begins at age 3. At this level 1% of education is private. The Net Enrolment Rate (NER) is 68%. All 15,528 ECE teachers are women. The PTR is 10 : 1.

Education is compulsory for ages 6 to 15. Primary school begins at age 6 and continues for 4 years. 48% of students are girls. At this level 4% of education is private. The Gross Enrolment Rate (GER) is reported at 100%. Of students who enrol in Grade 1, 98% reach the last grade of primary school. 2% of students repeat grades. There are 14,680 primary teachers (92% female). The PTR is 18 : 1.

Secondary education begins at age 10 and is completed in 9 years. At this level 6% of education is private. 75% of students in upper secondary education study in technical vocational programmes. The Net Enrolment Rate is 88%. 1% of students repeat grades. There are 51,817 secondary teachers, 28,580 (77% female) in lower secondary and 23,237 (68% female) in upper secondary schools. The PTR is 13 : 1 in lower and 12 : 1 in upper secondary education.

158,089 students (53% female) study in tertiary institutions, for a GER of 34%. At this level 1% of education is private. 14,581 Slovakian students study abroad, mainly in the Czech Republic (6,938), Hungary (2,441), Germany (1,640), Austria (1,387) and the USA (585).

The law prohibits discrimination against persons with disabilities in education or in other state services. Some persons with severe physical handicaps are reported to receive less than the minimum wage. There are about 7,000 children in institutional care, the majority of them Roma. Government orphanages are long-term rather than short-term care residences. Orphans are at increased risk of becoming victims of trafficking when they leave the institution at age 18.

The law provides for the granting of asylum or refugee status in accordance with the 1951 UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol; the government has established a system to provide some protection to refugees. The government cooperates with the UNHCR in assisting refugees and asylum-seekers.

Ethnic Slovaks, a Slavic people, account for 85% of the population. About 10% of the population is ethnic Hungarian, living mainly on the border with Hungary. Other minorities consisting of Czechs, Roma, Ruthenians, Germans, Ukrainians, Poles and Jews comprise 5% of the total population. Slovakia ratified the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. Slovakia distinguishes between the various minority languages in such a way that some minority language communities have more rights than others.

The use of minority languages in Slovakian schools is not included in the Act on National Minority Languages, but section 3 of the Education Act notes that "education is conducted in the state language. Citizens of the Czech, Hungarian, German, Polish and Ukrainian (Ruthenian) nationality have the right of education in their own language in the extent measured of the interest of their national development."

Widespread discrimination against Roma is reported in education, employment, housing and health services. After Hungarians, Roma are the second-largest ethnic minority, numbering about 90,000, though some estimates put the Roma population at 350,000 to 400,000. It is believed the discrepancy in estimates may be caused by some Roma identifying themselves as Hungarian or Slovak. Roma unemployment is said to exceed 95%.

Segregation in schools is an ongoing problem. A nationalist organisation known as Slovenska Pospolitost is reported to hold events to intimidate minority groups and is said to preach ethnic and religious intolerance. An action plan against xenophobia and intolerance has been expanded and currently focuses on issues of concern to Roma.

Reports do not indicate any restriction of academic freedom. All conditions applicable to full-time academic personnel are applied to those with part-time status. The only sites blocked on the Internet are pornographic sites.

Women and men are equal in family and property law and in the judicial system; however, in practice discrimination against women is a problem. Women, on average, earn 25% less than men. The wage differential is attributed, in part, to the numbers of women in low-paid work, including in education and other social services.

To deal with accusations of forced sterilisation of Roma women, confirmed by a 2003 government report, a 2004 law requires that sterilisation be performed only at the request of the patient and after a lapse of 30 days from the request. The accusations have now ceased, though no financial redress was made to confirmed victims. The case has been appealed to the European Court of Human Rights and at the time of writing remains pending.

Domestic violence is illegal but is reported as pervasive, and women's advocates assert there is ineffective implementation of the law. The social stigma prevents victims from reporting assaults. The trafficking in women for the purpose of sexual exploitation is illegal but takes place. Sexual harassment is not prohibited in law and reports cite a lack of statistics to measure the severity.

The minimum age for employment is 15, but children under 15 may perform light work (cultural or artistic) providing it does not affect their health, safety or schooling. Children under 16 may work up to 30 hours a week, while those aged 16 and 17 are limited to 37.5 hours of work a week. Inspectors investigate and control child labour in the formal sector. But begging is a problem in some cities, as is forced prostitution.

Workers have the right to form and join trade unions, except armed forces personnel. Some 17% of the work force is unionised. When the police union demonstrated against low wages, the officer leading heading the union was demoted. Collective bargaining is permitted, and negotiations take place on wages and benefits. The right to strike is provided, except for civil servants in essential services and members of the military, who cannot strike if collective bargaining fails to reach an agreement or participate in a solidarity strike.

Forced or compulsory labour is prohibited, but reports indicate such practices occur, particularly with victims of trafficking. The minimum monthly wage of US$215 (6,900 SKK) does not provide a decent standard of living for a worker and family. The maximum work week is 48 hours.