The Legal Defense Bureau for National and Ethnic Minorities (NEKI) in Hungary learned about a testing tactic from a U.S. group that had successfully proved instances of housing discrimination by sending in “testers” of different races to apply for apartments. Similar discrimination was also occurring in Hungary against the Roma population – in housing, employment, access to public spaces and public services and other areas. NEKI adapted the tactic of testing to fit into its strategy of using lawsuits to challenge human rights violations. Not only did this tactic prove to be as applicable in Hungary as in the United States, it also proved effective in situations other than housing discrimination.

Year of Publication: 2003
Author(s): Bea Bodrogi