the plight of europe\’s roma population
DESCRIPTION
Research and oral presentation prepared for Social Research Methods course.TRANSCRIPT
The Plight of Roma in Europe
Examining European governments and their contribution to the difficulties
faced by Roma
Agenda
• Hypothesis: Governments contributing to Roma persecution
• Methodology• Overview/Background• Prejudice and Discrimination• Czech Republic & Roma Education• Italy’s Treatment of Roma• OSCE Action Plan• Soros’ Decade of Roma Inclusion• Conclusion
Methodology• European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)
Q&A• Open Society Institute Q&A
– Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015
• Secondary Research Sources:– ERRC– OSCE– Amnesty International– Romove.cz (Czech)– Migrationinformation.org– YouTube
Overview and Background
• Origins: Northern India• Settled in Europe by 15th century• “Gypsies”, considered discriminatory• Victims of the Holocaust
– Est. 200,000-800,000 murdered– Porajmos (The Devouring)
• Est. Total European Population: 8-12 million– Romania: >2 million
• Communist-era social safety nets = greater protection
• August, Madonna concert in Romania
Sources: migrationinformation.org, romove.cz
Roma Populations
Source: migrationinformation.org
Prejudice and Discrimination• Violence against Roma
– Police abuse– Non-prosecution of perpetrators
• Housing segregation & discrimination– Lack of electricity, water, sanitation, transportation networks; forced evictions
• Lack of access to health care– Lack of telephone, transportation and isolated living arrangements compound the
discrimination component• Employment discrimination
– Discrimination creates barrier to ‘formal labor market’ – 64% report discrimination, 49% said they were told explicitly by employer (402 working age adults, ’05 and ’06)
– High illiteracy among adult Roma damages ability to gain employment– Communist-era employment was unskilled, failed to translate to capitalist economy– “Glass box”
• Education discrimination– Segregated schools, state-sponsored– Placed in schools appropriate for mentally disabled children– Education levels achieved: 9% - no education, 52% - basic, 12% - secondary, 3% -
university level, (vocational – 19%, other – 5%)• Denied political rights and access to citizenship
– Lack of identification papers – can’t prove citizenship– Avoid self-identifying to avoid discrimination
Source: European Roma Rights Centre
Czech Republic and Roma Education
Czech Republic Deputy Minister of Education: “The will is limited” (2:19)http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7lzZ7In8KEE
• Ruling in 2005 by European Court of Human Rights outlawed segregation targeted at Romani children
• Czech Republic non-compliance• Romani children continue to be sent to ‘special’ schools, suitable for
‘mentally disadvantaged’ children– ERRC finds a drop in enrollment to ‘standard primary schools’, static
enrollment trends at ‘special’ schools• 2008 evidence shows Romani children over-represented ‘special’ schools
student populations:– Romani children made up 80% of 42.1% of ‘special’ schools– Romani children made up 50-79% of 31.6% of another ‘special’ schools– Romani children made up less than 50% of the student population in
only 26.3% of ‘special’ schools surveyed
Source: European Roma Rights Centre
Italy’s Treatment of Roma• Influx of Roma to Italy from Romania and Bulgaria resulting from EU
membership• Berlusconi government includes anti-immigrant political party Northern League
– Minister of Interior, May 11, 2008: “All Romani camps will have to be dismantled right away…inhabitants…expelled or incarcerated” (Italian newspaper La Repubblica)
• May 13, 2008: Arson attack on Romani camp in Naples• May 21, 2008: Council of Ministers Emergency Decree:
– “Declaration of the state of emergency with regard to nomad community settlements…”
• June 6, 2008: “Gypsies will be monitored and a census would be carried out…Gypsies would also be fingerprinted and photographed…to allow authorities to identify to them…” (Rome’s Commissioner for Roma, Carlo Mosca)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmKrhmUPO98
Source: European Roma Rights Centre
Italy’s Treatment of Roma
• July 1, 2008: Italy’s highest appeal court: “it is acceptable to discriminate against Roma on the grounds that they are thieves”
• Court reversed the conviction of six Northern League defendants who had demanded expulsion of Roma
• Forced Evictions, November 2009: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPj5uWU5PI8– Amnesty Int’l: Illegal under international law
Sources: European Roma Rights Centre, Amnesty International
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
• Implementation of the Action Plan on Improving the Situation of Roma and Sinti within the OSCE Area
• Issued in 2003, 2008 Status Report: “Substantive shortcomings with regard to implementation”
• “Insufficient funding, lack of political will at national level, apathy or neglect to implement policies”
Source: OSCE
• Some positive change reported, but with caveat:– Education: Efforts to dismantle segregated
schools– Health care: Socio-medical centers
established– Public/Political life: administrative structures
set up to represent Roma in local and national govt
“Many strategies in place…have little hope of long-term sustainability”
Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE)
Source: OSCE
Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015• Political commitment by European Governments to
improve the socio-economic status and social inclusion of Roma
• 12 Countries participating: – Albania, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Rep,
Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Spain
– Not Italy• Each country has crafted a Decade Action Plan
– Cover four main areas: employment, housing, education, health care
• Decade includes REF – Roma Education Fund– Administers university scholarship program for Roma
• First Decade Watch Report, 2007, focused on inputs: what steps have governments taken?
Conclusions
• Concrete examples from Czech Republic and Italy indicate governments are contributing to the plight of the Roma
• OSCE’s Action Plan also indicates government inaction among its 56 member states
• Political will among elected officials is a formidable obstacle
• Roma representation locally/nationally is limited • Decade of Inclusion: positive outcomes?
What’s Next?
• Decade of Inclusion: – Outreach to Roma to generate participation,
how is it handled?– Outreach to majority populations, how are
differences explained?– Stereotypes/myths, what’s true, what’s not?– Four years in, positive outcomes?