A Critique of Coalition Government Policy on Gypsies, Roma and Travellers

The Coalition Government statement of agreement pledged to promote improved community relations and opportunities for ethnic minority communities (Cabinet Office, 2010). Gypsies, Roma and Travellers (GRT) are one of the most marginalised minorities in society (Cemlyn et al, 2009), therefore actions by the Coalition Government that impact on this group are a good indicator of the strength of its commitment to improved community relations and social justice.

Two years into the life of the Coalition Government we are in a position to make such an assessment with the publication of an inter-ministerial report in April 2012: ‘Progress report by the ministerial working group on tackling inequalities experienced by Gypsies and Travellers’ (CLG, 2012).

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Balkans: Roma pay the price of visa liberalisation, NGO survey says

The visa liberalization with the EU has resulted in arbitrary border controls and travel bans in the countries of the so-called Western Balkans. This is the result of a comparative survey on the measures which have been taken by countries of the region in reaction to EU pressures over an increase in the number of asylum seekers from these countries. Roma, who have been brandmarked as the archetype of bogus asylum seekers, have been the main victims of these measures.

The author of this survey, Chachipe, a Roma rights NGO based in Luxembourg, has analysed the measures which have been put in place by Serbia, Macedonia and other countries of the region, which have been granted a liberalisation of their visa regime with the EU, in order to evade pressures over an eventual reintroduction of visa requirements. They consist in a strengthening of border controls, the revocation or annihilation of travel documents and other forms of punishment.

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German investment to provide Roma with jobs and housing

The memorandum of understanding should provide employment opportunities and solve the housing problems of part of the Roma population in the country.

Under the document, the German group, a successful union of Roma businessmen, should invest in Serbia in cooperation with local businessmen and employ Roma people, and if possible, provide those who get jobs with accommodations.

The first project to be implemented, said President of the Roma National Minority Council Vitomir Mihajlović, is the construction of a recycling center covering about 15 hectares of land in the municipality of Ruma, northern Serbia.

The center for recycling of car tires and production of biogas will include housing units for employees, Mihajlović said.

Mihajlović said that the Roma population faced serious problems when it came to employment and housing, pointing to the fact that there were about 600 informal settlements in Serbia, 20 percent of which had no water and 40 percent no sewerage systems.

He said that many of the settlements also had no electricity, pointing out that there were about 700,000 and 800,000 Roma in Serbia.

The implementation of projects for employment and housing of Roma can free the population from the vicious circle of misery and poverty, said Roma Investment Group Director Zoran Simić.

Milorad Bašić, director of Jugoagent KTS d.o.o, which represents the German consortium in Serbia, shares Simić’s opinion and says he expects other projects of similar type to be drafted soon, stressing that German companies are showing considerable interest in investing in Serbia.

The German consortium plans to invest about EUR 40 million in the project.

 

http://www.ymlp.com/app/archive_showmessage.php?PHPSESSID=28759cff74c66cc9be89e6a67f2621ac&id=2202

Ghetto or helping? Roma segregation spurs debate

Building a wall that closes in a Roma neighbourhood and rehousing families in a dilapidated Communist-era office block have earned Catalin Chereches accusations of racism. But the actions have also helped the mayor of the northern Romanian town of Baia Mare to become the country’s most popular local politician and shown how central Europe’s lacklustre economies and widespread poverty can trigger radical solutions. Chereches, 33, an urbane Vienna-educated economist, says he is trying to improve the lot of Baia Mare’s impoverished Roma. Rights groups counter that he is enclosing the population in ghettos and making the situation worse.

 

He says living conditions have improved by moving families away from a slum where naked children play in the dust with stray dogs and cats. But it still keeps Roma separate from other people and lacks space and bathrooms.

 

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Learning about rights helps Roma women in Montenegro

Women are discriminated against in most societies. But Roma women are often even worse off, since they are faced both with the strong patriarchal culture within the Roma community and the sometimes blatant racism from institutions as well as individuals.
– I wasn’t allowed to move around freely or make decisions about my own life, says Fana Delija, one of the founders of Center for Roma Initiative, CRI, the only organization working for Roma women’s rights in Montenegro.

Jovana Mrkaic, Fana Delija and Fatima Naza from the Center for Roma Initiatives during the award ceremony for the Anna Lindh Prize in Stockholm, Sweden. Foto: The Kvinna till Kvinna Foundation/Karin Råghall.

CRI has just received the 2012 Anna Lindh Prize (yearly award in memory of the Swedish Secretary of State with the same name who was murdered in 2003), and Fana Delija and the co-founder of CRI, Fatima Naza, are still a bit overwhelmed.

– The award means a lot to us, it gives us the strength to continue our work. And hope and optimism, says Fana Delija.

Besides from founding CRI, Fana Delija and Fatima Naza have also started a network for young Roma women and are advisors to the Montenegrin government in matters concerning Roma women’s situation and rights.
But just ten years ago their lives were very different. They lived in a Roma area and were almost never allowed to leave their own homes.

– I used to wonder why I couldn’t move around freely when girls from the majority population could, says Fana Delija.

Discussion groups changed their lives

The change came when Fana and Fatima started to participate in activities for young Roma women, arranged by the organization SOS Hotline in the town of Niksic. There they were taught about human rights, and eventually they began to lead their own discussion groups with other young Roma women, about the importance of education and to have power over your own life.

The discussion groups grew and in 2004 CRI was created as a separate organization. And their hard work these passed years has not been in vain. For example, the proportion of Roma women who give birth at home went down from 60 percent till less than 30 percent between 2000 and 2005, and today almost all Roma women give birth in a hospital.

– The changes are also noticeable in terms of education. The number of Roma children attending public schools have multiplied and now there are also Roma women with university degrees, says Fana Delija.
Roma women have also started to work outside the home, something that was almost never heard of ten years ago.

Biggest problems within the Roma community

Fatima Naza thinks that the Anna Lindh Award will help to bring more attention to the work of CRI and to Roma women’s situation.

– The biggest problems we encounter are within the Roma community, in particular Roma leaders who try to keep some negative aspects of the Romany traditions, such as arranged marriages. Parents sell their daughters to their future husbands, which is a crime against women’s and children’s rights. In our work we focus a lot on reducing the number of early and arranged marriages, says Fatima Naza.

CRI also informs Roma women about different types of violence against women and distributes information on where abused women can receive help. But their work is not solely focused on their own group.

– We also provide training for the whole community on prejudice against the Roma. It’s an extensive job, says Fatima Naza.

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ROM-UP! The inclusion of Roma through quality successful educational experiences

The main goal of ROM-UP! is to create an International Romani Network aimed at raising awareness of the successful educational experiences that have already been scientifically proven to be effective in the promotion of the social integration of Roma children and all the students in general, in terms of pursuing educational success.

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EU urged to make tackling child poverty a priority

Most people living below the poverty line in Europe are children and the EU and member states must push for child rights to be a priority, a conference has heard.

Speaking at an event on tackling child poverty organised by Caritas Europa, a network of Catholic organisations, on Tuesday, UK Greens MEP Jean Lambert said “the voice of children is not being heard”, and warned that “hope is being brought into question” for the next generation.

“Even small periods of deprivation can harm child development,” said Lambert, adding that this was why the European parliament is “pushing for specific targets to tackle child poverty”.

“We need high quality services and poverty reduction targets. Member state cutbacks are undermining the strategies that we do have,” she said.

Rosemary Keenan, of the Catholic Children’s Society Westminster, said that the “future of Europe goes by way of the family and children”, stressing that children are at the greatest risk of “poverty or social exclusion”.

Keenan said that the EU’s headline target of lifting 20 million people out of poverty by 2020 is “low” and highlighted predictions that suggest Europe “will fall short on this target by 25 per cent”.

“Things are not looking good for children in poverty in the EU,” she added.

Social affairs and equal opportunities policy officer for the European commission’s DG employment Elodie Fazi said giving children access to early education and care is essential to “break the cycle of inequality as early as possible”.

Fazi highlighted the importance of social transfers or government support, saying that “member states that spend the most have the lowest child poverty rate”.

“Many of the relevant policies are in member state hands, but the EU can support and complement action against child poverty. However, we need to strengthen our analytical tools and indicators,” she said.

Fazi also stressed that “work does not necessarily prevent poverty and one ‘breadwinner’ is often not enough” to lift families out of poverty. “Labour market exclusion is the main risk,” she added.

Social affairs attaché for the Cypriot permanent representation to the EU Niki Odysseos said that child poverty is “high” on the upcoming EU council presidency’s agenda.

“We must strengthen social cohesion by enhancing children’s wellbeing. We need a multidimensional approach, including childcare services and education,” she said.

Poverty in numbers

• In 2012, 116 million people are at risk of poverty in the EU
• 20.5 per cent of children in the EU are at risk of poverty
• 40.2 per cent of lone parent families in the EU are at risk of poverty
• Government support through social transfers reduces child poverty by 40 per cent in the EU

 

http://www.theparliament.com/latest-news/article/newsarticle/eu-urged-to-make-tackling-child-poverty-a-priority/

ERIO’s Conference “Good Practices on Roma Integration in Europe”

On 5 June ERIO hosted a conference on “Good Practices on Roma Integration in Europe” in the European Economic and Social Committee in Brussels. The purpose of the conference was to discuss successful practices on Roma integration in Europe, the current status of Roma integration in Belgium, as well as to officially launch the Belgian Roma, Sinti and Travellers Council (RSTC). Over 70 people from various fields, ranging from high level EU officials and Belgian politicians to Roma activists and civil society representatives, participated in the event.

Ivan Ivanov (ERIO’s Executive Director) opened the conference by welcoming all the participants. As an invited speaker, Lina Papamichalopoulou (European Commission, DG Justice) talked about the historic moment when all EU member states have decided to commit themselves to develop a National Roma Integration Strategy (NRIS). Although no NRIS is perfect, she said, none of them has been horrible. They all have made an effort, she noted. Ákos Topolánszky (Rapporteur on Roma issues, EESC), stressed the importance to fight Roma discrimination and to increase their freedom of choice, as “EU Roma citizens should enjoy the same rights as every other European citizen.”

The first session gave different actors the chance to present their good practices in the areas of employment, education, health, women and early childhood development. Speakers included Bernard Rorke (Open Society Foundations, Hungary), Carolina Fernández (Fundación Secretariado Gitano, Spain), Jan Hero (ERIO Board Member, Slovakia), Anna Mirga (FAGIC, Spain) and Veselina Vurgova (Tolerance and Mutual Aid Foundation, Bulgaria).

During the second session, Cathy van Remoortere (Advisor to the Cabinet of Minister Milquet) highlighted that the RSTC gives Roma the possibility to directly participate in shaping Belgian policy and in implementing the national Roma strategy on the local, regional and national level. She referred to RSTC as “a reliable partner” in the future, who will provide space for crucial dialogue. Dave Van Oosterwyck (Vice-Minister-President of the Flemish Government and Flemish Minister for Integration) talked about the efforts of the Flemish government in the areas of employment and housing, as well as of the establishment of access points in neighbourhoods.

In the third panel, Mihaela Mihai (Chair of the RSTC) introduced the RSTC as an independent agency for Roma leaders, who are engaged to fight for Roma inclusion and who want to contribute to the empowerment and well-being of the Roma in Belgium. The main objective is to advocate for the Roma cause. Numerous participants congratulated the council and its members for the establishment and honoured the work of the past two years. The conference was closed by a festive reception.