Publisher: European Roma Rights Center

Divide and Deport

Divide and Deport

Author(s): Claude Cahn / Language(s): English

Keywords: Austrian Sinti; Austrian Roma;

Between 20,000 and 30,000 Roma and Sinti live in Austria today. Some are descended from Roma and Sinti who have lived for generations in Austria, especially in the Burgenland district. Others are migrants or the children or grandchildren of migrants who came to Austria to work and live, attracted by its favorable post-World War II economic climate. Still others are persons receiving or seeking asylum as a result of poverty and ethnic pogroms in contemporary Central and Eastern Europe. This report will deal with this exceedingly diverse group of people as if it were a single social phenomenon. Individual members of the Romani community might not agree with this unified treatment. However, the group as a whole has been forced in recent years to respond to a rise in right wing, racist, xenophobic, or specifically anti-Romani sentiments, actions and legislation targeting Roma as Roma, regardless of internal distinctions. Since at the end of the day all Roma must adjust in some way to the new hostile climate in Austria, this report treats the various abuses of their rights as similar, and their fate as common. The research for this report was carried out over the period of February—May, 1996, in accordance with contemporary methodology in human rights investigation. Victims and witnesses were interviewed, wherever possible, in private. All statements were subject to sceptical scrutiny, and again wherever possible, corroboration was sought from second and third parties. Comment was also sought from competent authorities, although these were, in Austria, singularly unhelpful and, with several notable exceptions, the Austrian police and Interior Ministry did not respond to queries made by the "European Eoma "Eights Center. The purpose of the report will be to show the disastrous consequences on Roma of a series of new laws on legal residence and asylum, ratified between 1991 and 1993. The report will also investigate how the ground was prepared for the systematic exclusion of Roma in Austria through the recognition of a narrow and unrepresentative group of Roma as an Austrian “ethnic group” Volksgruppe). A connection will be made between this systematic exclusion and the recent appearance in Austria of episodes of public violence specifically targeting Roma. Finally, the report will make a series of concrete recommendations to the Austrian government for improving the legal situation of Roma in Austria.

ROMA BELONG - Statelessness, Discrimination and Marginalisation of Roma in Albania

ROMA BELONG - Statelessness, Discrimination and Marginalisation of Roma in Albania

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Roma in Albania; statelessness; birth registration;

The stories of the interviewees set out above demonstrate the essence of the causes and impact of (the risk of) statelessness among Roma in Albania and the intergenerational issues it raises with its consequences for children. Discriminatory attitudes among officials and rigid bureaucratic systems play a role, as does the irregular migration of Albanians to Greece and other countries, and the failure of Albanian authorities to address the documentation challenges that arise. The resultant lack of documentation makes it difficult for affected Roma to establish that they are Albanian, which can result in their children also being denied documents and nationality rights.

COERCIVE AND CRUEL: Sterilisation and its Consequences for Romani Women in the Czech Republic (1966-2016)

COERCIVE AND CRUEL: Sterilisation and its Consequences for Romani Women in the Czech Republic (1966-2016)

Author(s): Michaela Stejskalová,Elena Gorolová,Marek Szilvási / Language(s): English

Keywords: Involuntary Sterilisation; coercive Sterilisation;

The present report examines one of the most serious human rights violations against women – the practice of coercive sterilisation that was aimed at and programmatically performed on Romani women and women with disabilities starting from the 1970s until the 1990s. In Communist Czechoslovakia this practice was legally sanctioned by the 1971 Decree on Sterilisation. This Decree gave public authorities a more or less free rein to systematically sterilise Romani women and women with disabilities without their full and informed consent as a means of birth control. In 1979, Czechoslovakia also initiated a programme of financial incentives for Romani women to undergo sterilisations motivated by the need “to control the highly unhealthy Roma population through family planning and contraception”. An investigation into the practices of involuntary sterilisation of Romani women by the Czech Ombudsperson in 2005 estimated that, since 1972, thousands of women may have been involuntarily sterilised throughout the former Czechoslovakia. Female sterilisation was a state policy in Czechoslovakia until 1993 when the Sterilisations Directive was abolished. However, the practice of sterilising Romani women and women with disabilities against their will did not end with the abolition of the legislation which allowed it, but continued throughout the 1990s and 2000s, with the last known case occurring as recently as 2007.

DESTROYING PROGRESS / ROGRESSING DESTRUCTION: EU Romani Women and Children in France

DESTROYING PROGRESS / ROGRESSING DESTRUCTION: EU Romani Women and Children in France

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Informal settlement; Forced Eviction; Roma in France; discrimination of Roma; Roma as EU citizens;

This report specifically addresses the situation of EU Romani citizens from Romania living in informal settlements in France and does not deal with the particular human rights concerns of Roma from other EU and non-EU countries or French Roma, Sinti, Gens du Voyage, Manouche, etc. It presents the results of participatory research conducted in 2014 in six informal Romani settlements in France: Two in Seine-Saint-Denis in the Ile de France region, two in the Urban Community of Lille and two in Marseille. The research methodology was designed to ensure that Romani women played a concrete role in the work being done with respect to their situation.

Džuvljarke. Roma Lesbian Existence

Džuvljarke. Roma Lesbian Existence

Author(s): Vera Kurtić / Language(s): English

Keywords: LGBT Roma; gender-based discrimination; homophobia; patriarchy; Romani lesbian existence;

The topics I have chosen to discuss in this paper—the existence of women who are both Roma and lesbians, women who have emotional and sexual desires towards other women, and the issue of sexuality in itself— represent subjects which have been historically taboo, despite the fact that sexuality is one of the essential attributes to our very beings. Sexuality is a part of our personal identity; our sexuality informs our connections, relationships, our communities, and our entire society. It is a strong taboo to talk about female sexuality, not only within Romani communities but also more broadly in Serbia. In fact, no matter how ‘developed’ or ‘modern’ Serbian society is considered to be, especially when compared with other societies, or how ‘evolved’, or less patriarchal, Romani communities are now when contrasted with those in the past, women’s sexuality is still a subject that no one likes to discuss.

CAUSE OF ACTION: Families divided: Romani and Egyptian Children in Albanian Institutions

CAUSE OF ACTION: Families divided: Romani and Egyptian Children in Albanian Institutions

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Public Care; Romani Children; children in institutions;

There’s a high percentage of Romani and Egyptian children in children’s homes in Albania – a disproportionate number. These children are often put into institutions because of poverty, and then find it impossible ever to return to their families. Because of centuries of discrimination Roma and Egyptians in Albania are less likely to live in adequate housing, less likely to be employed and more likely to feel the effects of extreme poverty. As a result, authorities may take children into care - some parents even ask for this, as they can’t support their family. But under human rights law, poverty shouldn’t be a reason to deny children their right to family life. States must step in to support families to stay together. We’ve researched the situation, and on 6 July 2016 we made our case to the Commissioner for Protection from Discrimination in Albania claiming indirect discrimination against Roma and Egyptian children being taken into State care because of their economic situation and ethnicity. The case (and this report) focuses on one institution, the School Children’s Home in Shkodra, but it reflects the wider situation across the country.

FRANCE. Report of the European Roma Rights Centre. Country profile 2011-2012

LA FRANCE. Rapport du European Roma Rights Centre. Profil de pays 2011-2012

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): French

Keywords: Roma in France;

It is estimated that about 400,000 Roma and related groups (Travelers, Sinti, Manouches, Kalés, etc.) live in France, about 0.64% of the total population of France. This number in-cludes French nationals and migrant Roma. The number of migrant Roma in France is esti-mated at between 15,000 and 20,000. There is no exact data on the number of Roma in France (including migrant Roma) because French law prohibits the recognition of ethnic and cultural minorities. This means that there are no statistics disaggregated by ethnic group.In 2011 and 2012, the ERRC focused on Roma migrants in Romania and Bulgaria. Unless otherwise indicated, the term Roma in this report refers to Roma migrants from these two countries. Roma migrants in France live mainly in the suburbs of major cities, the majority living in the Paris region (Ile de France) and major cities in Marseille, Lille, Lyon, Toulouse and Nantes. Roma often settle in abandoned houses or isolated camps that host groups ranging from a few families to 800 people.According to ERRC studies, Roma are regularly confronted with discrimination at various levels, and the prohibition to collect data on this point masks the extent of such discrimi-nation.

ITALY: Country Profile. Report of the European Roma Rights Centre

ITALIA. Profilo del Paese. Rapporto del Centro Europeo per i Diritti deI Rom

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Italian

Keywords: Roma in Italy;

There are no precise figures on the current number of Roma, Sinti and Caminanti (RSC) in Italy and the available data on their socio-economic situation are insufficient. Roma in Italy are not a homogeneous group, have different legal statuses as well as various levels of integration in Italian society. According to unofficial estimates there are about 110,000-180,000 Roma in Italy, Italian citizens and migrants (registered), and represent about 0.25% of the total population. Half of them are under 16 and only 0.3% are over 60 years old. These figures are greater if we take into account those Roma who do not have residency and are "illegally" or "irregularly" present in the country. Among the Roma in Italy there are stateless persons in fact from the former Yugoslavia, for which reliable data are lacking. It is estimated that around 70,000 Roma are Italian citizens who have been living in Italy for more than 600 years and are present throughout the country; about 90,000 are Roma who were not born in Italy or born in Italy from immigrant parents, mainly from Eastern Europe. Then there are Roma from the former Yugoslavia who have been living in Italy for over 40 years and have subsequently become Italian citizens. During the wars of the 1990s a new wave of Roma from the former Yugoslavia arrived in Italy to seek asylum; some asylum applications, but not all, were accepted. In the last ten years the Roma, mainly from Romania and Bulgaria, have migrated to an increasing number in Italy, especially after the abolition of the visa regime in 2002 and the accession of Romania and Bulgaria to the EU in January 2007.

ROMANIA. Report of the European Roma Rights Centre. Country Profile 2011-2012

ROUMANIE. Rapport du European Roma Rights Centre. Profil du pays 2011-2012

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): French

Keywords: Roma of Romania;

The country profile of Romania focuses on housing and evictions as a cornerstone of the work of the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC). This profile also looks at the following aspects: displacement and migration, women's and children's rights and violence against Roma, including police mistreatment and anti-Roma statements by senior officials, members from the government or politicians. The information is up to date in April 2013. This publication and related research has been funded by various funding bodies of the European Roma Rights Center (ERRC), including the Swedish International Development Agency, the Open Society Foundations and the Sigrid Rausing Trust. The content of the publication is the sole responsibility of the ERRC. The opinions expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the donors.

WRITTEN COMMENTS of the European Roma Rights Centre, Concerning Czech Republic (For Consideration by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the 52nd Session 2-6 December 2013).

WRITTEN COMMENTS of the European Roma Rights Centre, Concerning Czech Republic (For Consideration by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights at the 52nd Session 2-6 December 2013).

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Housing of Roma in Czech Republic; Standard of Living of Roma in Czech Republic;

The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)

The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: Roma; ERRC; human rights; assesments; Bulgaria; Czech Republic; France; Hungary; Italy; Romania; Slovakia; discrimination; segregation; health care; education; housing; children; women;

The European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC) is an international public interest law organisation working to combat anti-Romani racism and human rights abuse of Roma through strategic litigation, research and policy development, advocacy and human rights education. In January 2016, the ERRC responded to the European Commission’s request for assessments of progress made by member states in implementing the EU Framework for National Roma Integration Strategies (NRIS) in 2015.

Coercive and Cruel. Sterilization and its consequences for Roma women in the Czech Republic (1966-2016)

NUCENÉ A KRUTÉ. Sterilizace a její důsledky pro romské ženy v České republice (1966-2016)

Author(s): Michaela Stejskalová,Elena Gorolová,Marek Szilvási / Language(s): Czech

Keywords: enforced sterilization;

A Lesson in Discrimination. Segregation of Romani Children in Primary Education in Slovakia

A Lesson in Discrimination. Segregation of Romani Children in Primary Education in Slovakia

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: ethnic school segregation; Roma in SLovakia;

The European Roma Rights Centre and Amnesty International have been monitoring and researching Romani children’s access to education in Slovakia since 1996 and 2006, respectively. This joint report presents a bleak picture: the piecemeal reforms and periodic declarations of intent by successive governments cannot obscure the fact that the discrimination and segregation of Roma in primary education remains widespread and that the Slovak authorities are fundamentally failing to address them. Under national, European and international law, discrimination in the field of education is prohibited in Slovakia. However, in practice, Slovak authorities have not accompanied the ban on discrimination with concrete measures to address or prevent it. In the longer term, the failure to enforce the prohibition of discrimination in access to education has far-reaching consequences for thousands of Romani children who remain segregated in inferior education that traps them in a cycle of poverty and marginalization. Nominal prohibitions are worth little without concerted, proactive measures to address pervasive prejudice and structural flaws that facilitate discrimination and encourage segregation.

Hidden Health Crisis. Health Inequalities and Disaggregated Data

Hidden Health Crisis. Health Inequalities and Disaggregated Data

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): English

Keywords: inequalities in health-care; health-care for Roma;

This report identifies differences between Roma and non-Roma in access to health and in health outcomes, through the collection of disaggregated data in households across Romania in 2013. Some of the differences which emerge are extreme – Roma live on average 16 years less, are more susceptible to serious medical conditions, and are less likely to have access to medical attention or be able to afford the costs of medicines when compared with the rest of Romania’s population. The European Roma Rights Centre has undertaken this research to highlight a key problem in health initiatives for Roma across Europe – a lack of data. Through the lens of health inequality, the report highlights the need for all states to collect and publish disaggregated data in order to measure all inequalities between groups within the state and the effectiveness of any measures taken to address existing inequalities. There is a clear need for disaggregated data in order to demonstrate the scope of discrimination Roma face and to develop and implement targeted policy measures to address this situation.

Still far from Goal: Preschool Attendance of Roma Children in "special schools" in Serbia

Još uvek daleko od cilja: Prezastupljenost romske dece u „specijalnim školama” u Srbiji

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Serbian

Keywords: Roma children in "special schools";

This report is elaborated by European Roma Rights Center (ERRC). After attending ERRC training on field research in the area of „education for disadvantaged students“, a team of 16 Roma researchers interviewed a Roma family whose children attend school for disadvantaged pupils in ten locations throughout Serbia. This team consisted of the following members in alphabetical order: Aleksandar Dinić, Aleksandar Makić, Aleksandar Demirović, Branislav Jovanović, Damir Alijević, Dalibor Nakić, Danica Jovanović, Goran Hasanović, Ina Karab, Jašar Ašimović, Jelica Nikolić, Jovan Nikolić Đuričković, Sladjana Teodorović and Slavica Rakić. Angelina Vučurević conducted field data collected by the researchers. Andrea Čolak prepared an analysis of the legal framework, which served as the basis for the relevant chapter. Marija Manić was responsible for collecting statistical data from the school. Tatjana Perić conducted additional interviews with experts and activists, and he also wrote several versions of this report, including Đorđe Jovanović, Stefan Miler (Stephan Müller), Adam Weiss (Adam Weiss), Merien Pauel (Marianne Powell) and Andrea Čolak . Dezierer Gergelj (Dezideriu Gergely) approved the final version of the report for publication.

KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS AND FIGHTING FOR THEM. A Guide for Romani Activists

KNOWING YOUR RIGHTS AND FIGHTING FOR THEM. A Guide for Romani Activists

Author(s): Author Not Specified / Language(s): Turkish,English,Romanian,Croatian,Russian,Macedonian,Serbian

COERCIVE AND CRUEL. A REPORT BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE Sterilisation and its Consequences for Romani Women in the Czech Republic (1966-2016)

COERCIVE AND CRUEL. A REPORT BY THE EUROPEAN ROMA RIGHTS CENTRE Sterilisation and its Consequences for Romani Women in the Czech Republic (1966-2016)

Author(s): Michaela Stejskalová,Elena Gorolová,Marek Szilvási / Language(s): English

Keywords: coercive involuntary sterilisation, Roma sterilisation.

This report examines the practice of coercive involuntary sterilisations in the Czech Republic as experienced by Romani women against their will or without free and informed consent. Along with a review of the institutional, legal and policy context within which these sterilisations took place, the main focus of the report is on the personal experiences of sterilised Romani women. These were obtained through individual interviews and focus groups with 22 involuntarily sterilised women.

The Impact of Legislation and Policies on School segregation of Romani children. A Study of Anti-Discrimination Law and Government Measures to Eliminate Segregation in Education in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia

The Impact of Legislation and Policies on School segregation of Romani children. A Study of Anti-Discrimination Law and Government Measures to Eliminate Segregation in Education in Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia

Author(s): Vera Egenberger,Claude Cahn / Language(s): English

Keywords: School segregation;

The study builds on previous ERRC research in the five countries which documented existing patterns of segregated education and explored the impact of legislative and policy frameworks on school segregation of Roma. The documentation collected in previous years was updated to include policy developments, especially in the period 2003-2006, as well as recent field research findings based on testimonies of Romani parents, children, teachers and educational administration authorities at central and local levels of government. The study also uses ERRC legal databases.

Dis-Interest of the Child. Romani Children in the Hungarian Child Protection System

Dis-Interest of the Child. Romani Children in the Hungarian Child Protection System

Author(s): Tara Bedard,Mária Neményi,Mária Herczog,Gábor Havas,Judit Szilágyi,Anna Kende / Language(s): English

Keywords: Roma children in Hungary;

This report examines the findings and implications of research on Romani children in the Hungarian child protection system, explores the applicability of good practices from other countries and provides a series of recommendations for future actions by the Hungarian Government. Due to the highly sensitive nature of the subject examined and out of respect for the persons interviewed, the ERRC has chosen not to refer directly to any individual interviewed during research towards the preparation of this report. Members of the child protection profession are referred to herein by their job title and location. In the vast majority of locations, more than one professional was interviewed. The children and Romani parents interviewed during the course of research are referred to by their initials.

ROMA BELONG. Statelessness, Discrimination and Marginalisation of Roma in the Western Balkans and Ukraine

ROMA BELONG. Statelessness, Discrimination and Marginalisation of Roma in the Western Balkans and Ukraine

Author(s): Anisa Metalla,Bakir Mrkonja,Edita Avdibegović,Lejla Šlak,Ivan Kochovski,Aleksandrs Efremova,Samir Jaha,Jelena Topalović,Irena Marunović,Ivanka Kostić,Ivana Stanković,Milan Radojević,Kateryna Gaidei,Yuliia Nosenko,Maryna Kurochkina / Language(s): English

This report primarily focuses on the Western Balkans countries of Bosnia-Herzegovina, Mac¬edonia, Montenegro and Serbia, with additional anecdotal information from Albania, Kosovo and Ukraine. It is complemented by more detailed country reports on Albania and Ukraine.1 While the discrimination and marginalisation of Roma populations in these countries receives some attention, there is less awareness or information on statelessness among these commu¬nities, how it is caused and whether this has an additional, discriminatory impact on the rights of Roma. The report synthesises research carried out in 2016 and 2017 on discrimination and statelessness in these countries, and draws out the key issues which require further attention, awareness and ultimately, a concerted policy response and shift in attitude.