ERIO’s participation in a school conference on the Roma Holocaust

On the 7^th of June, ERIO was invited to speak in a conference at the European School in Uccle in Brussels. The purpose of the conference was to raise the awareness of young students about the Roma Holocaust and familiarize them with the long lasting discriminatory behaviour towards Roma. During and after the conference there were questions raised about Roma in general but also about their situation during the Nazi regime. Around 100 students and teachers attended the event. Caroline Intrand from CIRÉ also made a presentation about Roma’s present situation in Europe.

 

Marta Pinto (ERIO’s Policy Officer) started her intervention by generating a discussion on who are the Roma in an attempt to grasp the knowledge of pupils around the issue. Some of the answers given by students reflected a number of stereotypes surrounding Europe’s largest minority group. She continued her presentation by familiarising students with the Roma Holocaust, a less known genocide. The presentation covered the situation of Roma before, during and after WWII. The inhumane anti-Roma laws and the Nazi perception of Roma as ‘’people of inferior birth’’ as well as the oppression they experienced because of their origins was mentioned too. There was an extensive reference to the situation inside concentration camps, the experiments with Roma children, the gas chambers, the exhausting labour, and finally the ‘’Gipsy section’’ in Auschwitz where more than 20.000 Roma were murdered. She concluded with the injustice towards Roma after World War II that still exists nowadays.

 

The conference continued with Caroline Intrand who focussed her intervention on the current Roma situation and ongoing discrimination this group still faces.  The event closed with questions posed by the students to both of the speakers and were mostly about the Roma situation now and their rights to education and voting. There were also question raised regarding the Holocaust and Roma compensation for the genocide. The conference ended with thanking regards from both students and teachers.

Tolerance or equal rights?

INTOLERANCE can reveal itself in multiple forms, from controlled antipathy through hate speech to physical aggression. But sometimes expressions of intolerance appear in the guise of “personal opinion” which all individuals believe they are entitled to. Racism, anti-Semitism, xenophobia, homophobia, sexism, and ageism are not just entries in reports about abuse of human rights, with some alarming numbers attached, but also cause widespread personal suffering even in 21st-century societies that claim to respect universal human rights, which no longer assassinate political opponents, and which do not send their citizens to gas chambers.

Economic crises in many European countries and existential uncertainties nourish some people’s drive to find someone to blame for the uncertainties, thus opening the political stage to populist but extremist parties that are not coy about pointing at those who they think should be made scapegoats. In January 2012, Human Rights Watch, an international advocacy organisation, wrote in an essay titled Europe’s Own Human Rights Crisis that the growing success of these kinds of political parties is having a “profound impact on mainstream politics”.

The majority population in multiple European countries keeps failing tolerance tests without even really noticing it: mistreatment of Roma minorities is one of the most common failings. The European Union’s Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) recently published a report ranking Slovakia among the worst of eleven EU countries in educating young Roma, finding that only 20 percent of Roma under the age of 24 have graduated from secondary school in Slovakia, compared to almost 90 percent of their non-Roma peers. A report by Amnesty International stated that Roma students in some primary and secondary schools in Slovakia sit in segregated classes or in segregated school buildings.

http://spectator.sme.sk/articles/view/46634/11/tolerance_or_equal_rights.html

Roma moved ‘like pawns on a chessboard’ under Rome’s ’Nomad Plan’

With summer holidays upon them, many school-children in Rome are about to enjoy a few months respite from study. But for Roma children living in the Tor de’ Cenci camp, on the city’s southern outskirts, the last day of school may instead bring the bitter taste of a forced move and uncertainty about which school will take them next year.

We spent two days in Tor de’ Cenci talking with people living there. Most of them told us they don’t want to leave, but they seem resigned to the fact that the camp will be closed anyway, whether they consent or not. Tor de’ Cenci is very close to a residential neighbourhood, so for some 15 years Roma living there have enjoyed easy access to basic services such as local doctors’ practices and shops.

And with their children attending local schools they have enjoyed a degree of social inclusion that is rare for Roma communities.The camp has its origins in the late 1990s, when local authorities relocated Roma families there from another settlement. The local government installed residential containers and built a sewage system. Residents were given official title to their containers, and a street sign was erected to direct visitors towards the camp.

But in recent years the mood has changed, with local authorities referring to Tor de’ Cenci as a “tolerated” camp. In 2009 they announced its closure as part of Rome’s “Nomad Plan”, devised under a state of emergency now expired, which will result in those living in mostly informal settlements around the city being forced to move to authorized camps, which are invariably located in remote areas.

http://livewire.amnesty.org/2012/06/08/roma-moved-%E2%80%98like-pawns-on-a-chessboard%E2%80%99-under-rome%E2%80%99s-%E2%80%99nomad-plan%E2%80%99/

 

European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations

What is the EY2012?

 

The European Union (EU) declared 2012 as the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations (EY2012). Despite several EU and national initiatives to promote active ageing and solidarity between generations, time has come to take concrete actions in order to ensure older people have a dignified lifestyle.

 

The demographic changes taking place in Europe raise new challenges for society as a whole. Europeans live longer and healthier but older adults are too often perceived as a burden to younger generations and to the sustainability of the overall social services scheme. The current financial crisis and budget cuts further increases their risk of socio-economic exclusion aggravating the probabilities of isolation, ill health and dependency. It is therefore fundamental to address these challenges and design a comprehensive and fair strategy to organise society.

 

The EY2012 is therefore an opportunity for raising awareness, and identifying and spreading good practice. The main task is however to encouraging policymakers and stakeholders at all levels to promote active ageing and intergenerational solidarity.

 

To support the EY2012, politicians and stakeholders are invited to jointly contribute to the elaboration and implementation of a comprehensive plan which will serve to laid the basis for an age-friendly EU by 2020. The objective is to improve the general conditions of older people in areas such as employment, healthcare, social services, adult learning, volunteering, housing, IT services, and transports services.

 

Objectives:

 

With the EY2012, the EU’s ambition is to achieve a sustainable society for all ages in which older people can enjoy a decent, healthy and independent lifestyle.

 

The EY2012 objectives are:

 

–          Promote active ageing in employment

–          Promote active participation of older people in the community through volunteering and caring

–          Promote healthy ageing and independent living

–          Enhance intergenerational solidarity

 

Participation:

 

In 2011 all relevant actors were invited to commit to specific programmes and goals. In 2012 commitments should be translated into concrete actions.

 

The European Year is open to individuals and groups, private and public bodies, sharing the EY2012 values and objectives. Politicians at EU and national level, regional and local authorities, service provider, the business sector and civil society are all encouraged to bring their contributions.

 

Groups and individuals can support the EY2012’s objective by spreading the word:

 

–          Adding reference to the EY2012 to your websites and publications (logo downloadable here.

–          Promoting the EY2012 in your email signature

–          Using of social media such as Facebook, Twitter and newsletters

 

Or actively participate by integrating the EY2012 programme and objectives in your organisation’s work agenda:

 

–          Launching targeted campaigns on active ageing, intergenerational solidarity, and good practice

–          Organising and promoting events, debates, and conferences at the local, regional or national level

–          Actively encouraging politicians and relevant stakeholder to launch initiatives to support the EY2012

–          Providing older people information, guidance and counselling services on

• Job opportunities and volunteering
• Opportunities and services available in their communities
• Informal learning (e.g. IT)

–          Advocating for an integrated approach that puts vulnerable groups such as older immigrants and ethnic and religious minorities, the socially disadvantaged and older dependent and disable people at the core of all initiatives and policies.

–          Promoting volunteering services aimed at improving the wellbeing and social inclusion of older dependant people

–          Encouraging healthy ageing lifestyle and fostering cooperation between generations

–          Using the European Day of Solidarity Between Generations on 29 April as a key opportunity to stress the link between promoting active ageing and encouraging intergenerational solidarity

 

Individuals and organisations wishing to get involved at national level can contact their relevant national coordinator in charge of ensuring that the national activities are properly coordinated.

 

Participants are strongly encouraged to share information and experiences about their initiatives on the official EY2012 website. This will be the opportunity for other organisations to see what you are planning to do and could inspire others to launch their own initiatives or to create strategic partnerships.

 

Organisations can apply for EU funding. In September 2011, the European Commission, the Committee of the Regions and AGE Platform Europe jointly published a brochure ‘How to promote active ageing in Europe: Tools and instruments available to local actors’. This brochure provides useful information on how organisations and initiative can apply for funding from existing EU programmes. The brochure also provides examples of successful EU funded projects, which can be of inspiration for the elaboration and implementation of future initiatives.

 

 

2012 key dates and activities:

 

09 – 11 July: Conference on Intergenerational Solidarity “Generations Ageing Together” – Keele University, UK.

 

13- 17 August: 8^th World Congress on Active Ageing in August of 2012 – Glasgow, Scotland, UK

 

01 October: International day of older persons

 

For other events, visit the site: http://europa.eu/ey2012/

 

Further Information:

 

• The official EY2012 website

www.active-ageing-2012.EU

 

• EY2012 AGE Platform Europe web page

http://www.age-platform.eu/en/2012-european-year-on-active-ageing-and-intergenerational-solidarity

 

• ‘How to promote active ageing in Europe: Tools and instruments available to local actors’ brochure

http://www.age-platform.eu/images/stories/EN/brochure_activeageing_en.pdf

 

• For more information on what can be done

http://www.age-platform.eu/images/stories/EN/ey2012_joint_leaflet-en.pdf

 

 

 

Roma face ‘double stigmatisation’ when they are on the move

Roma face “double stigmatisation” when they are on the move, firstly as a persecuted and victimised minority and secondly as migrants, according to PACE’s Migration Committee. In a draft recommendation approved today in Paris, based on a report by Annette Groth (Germany, UEL), the committee points out this stigma is “based on three deep-rooted prejudices, namely that all Roma are nomads, they all come from abroad, and their migration is illegal”.

All three prejudices are misplaced, the committee points out: less than 20 per cent of Roma are now nomadic, they have been part of European society for around 700 years, and most have the right to migrate under EU freedom of movement laws.

The Council of Europe should study how laws criminalising begging affect Roma, and look into whether they are affected by, and/or involved in trafficking. Negative stereotyping of Roma in the media and political speech should also be tackled.

Meanwhile Council of Europe member states are urged to “stop actions which amount to collective expulsion of Roma” and to suspend the return of Roma to Kosovo until they can be shown to be safe and sustainable.

http://assembly.coe.int/ASP/NewsManager/EMB_NewsManagerView.asp?ID=7737&L=2

Deeply Embedded anti-Gypsyism – the Case of a Research Team from Utrecht University

Policy Center for Roma and Minorities received a request from a group of researchers at the University of Utrecht. In short, the message read as follows: “In the last few years Dutch Police is confronted with the activities of mobile East-European bands, specifically from Lithuania, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania, which operate on the territory of the Netherlands. These bands commit burglaries, car burglaries, raids and thefts by using ‘hit and run’ method. After committing crimes they usually return to their countries with the stolen goods. The estimated damage of their criminal activities is about 250 million Euros annually.”

The Utrecht University team’s plan was to conduct “research on these criminal groups and search for information and insights on motives, background and criminal organizations, who possibly stand behind these ‘mobile bandits’.” They asked Policy Center for Roma and Minorities to meet during a visit to Romania that they would undertake in July: “We are looking for organisations who explain/tell us more about the culture of Roma people in Romania.” The research study is financially supported by a Dutch foundation linked to the police.

http://www.policycenter.eu/pc-blog/blog/deeply-embedded-anti-gypsyism-–-the-case-of-a-research-team-from-utrecht-university/

 

Dozens of Roma intoxicated with toxic waste after local authorities moved them in a former plant

Some 2,000 Roma have been evicted from the outskirts of Baia Mare (North West Romania) and moved to a former laboratory of a metallurgical plant, amid containers with dangerous chemicals and other toxic substances, Romania TV news channel informs today (Tues).

Several dozen people, including children, have been intoxicated with chemical substances abandoned in the plant, known in Romania as ‘The Death Plant’. The metallurgical plant Cuprom in Copsa Mica outside Baia Mare has been closed down in 2005 as it was the biggest polluter in the country.

Since last weekend when the moving operation finished, dozens of ambulances have been called to the site as people got sick due to intoxication with chemical substances.  The former metallurgical site is full of containers with unknown substances and the laboratory of the plant is disparaged, in open air.

The Roma community was evicted from the city’s outskirts and their fortune houses demolished by order of the municipality. Because they do not have where to go, the local authorities decided to move the families, several hundred people, in the former metallurgical plant.

Two years ago the Mayor of the city Cătălin Cherecheş decided to build a two-meter wall to separate the city from the place where the Roma community was living. The move sparked protests in Romania and in Europe as well.

http://www.romaniantimes.at/news/General_News/2012-06-05/21586/Dozens_of_Roma_intoxicated_with_toxic_waste_after_local_

authorities_moved_them_in_a_former_plant

Roma integration within the European Union and Bulgaria

The European Commission gave a positive assessment of the national strategies of the EU member states for social and economic integration of Roma within the Common strategy voted on April 5th this year. According to the strategy there are four key areas where the distance between Roma and other ethnicities should be reduced: access to education, employment, healthcare and residence.

There are between 10 and 12 million Roma people in Europe, spread in various countries. According to the recent statistics, some 350 000 Roma citizens inhabit Bulgaria. But everywhere they are among the poorest and antisocial citizens and part of them are constantly moving from one country to another. Most of the EU countries have already presented particular measures for integration of Roma people. Among the good practices is the Bulgarian pilot project that aims at building homes for poor and vulnerable people worth 15 million leva, the report from the European Commission shows. According to the EU Commissioner of Law and Justice and Vice-president of the European Commission Vivian Reading these national strategies are only the first step and more evident results are needed. This should be achieved by more intense efforts, clear vision and measures, forecasted financing, social observance and appraisal. The Commissioner of Employment, Social Issues and Social integration Laszlo Andor has said that the inclusion of Roma people in the EU is a shared social, economic and moral duty and no country will receive money from the European social fund during the next programme period of 2014-2020, without having a certain project.

“The road towards successful integration of Roma people in the EU goes through observing the rights and responsibilities by everyone”-says Bulgaria’s MEP Andrey Kovachev in an interview for Radio Bulgaria. Recently he was organizer and a reporter representing Bulgaria at the forum named Roma citizens are European citizens, initiated by the European Parliament in regard to the report of the European commission about the integration of Roma people.

http://www.bghelsinki.org/en/news/bg/single/roma-integration-within-european-union-and-bulgaria/