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?