An article highlighting the fact that Roma refugees from the Ukraine are not welcome.
The Council of Europe Project “Strengthening the protection of national minorities, including Roma and minority languages in Ukraine” is launching a call for proposals to receive Grants for activities protecting the rights of national minorities and Roma, as well as the implementation of the Council of Europe standards in the context of Russian military aggression against Ukraine.
Well, they have to fight against stereotypes, and since quite a few of them do not have Ukrainian IDs or passports, they are being accused of not being from there.
Bad.
Lower life expectancy, limited access to health services, violation of human rights… So many factors that affect the mental health of some 10 million Roma in Europe. Associations are sounding the alarm.
The Open Society Foundations (OSF) has established a pan-European Roma independent foundation. Under the leadership of Zeljka Jovanovice, the current director of the OSF Roma Initiatives Office, the new European Roma Foundation will become the largest European Roma foundation ever. It will be financed by the OSF for ten years, which it will build on.
“I am proud to announce on the occasion of International Roma Resistance Day that we are taking our long-term commitment and commitment to the Roma to the next level,” said George Soros, founder and chairman of the OSF, on May 16.
Roma are not a minority, they are Europeans.
The European Commission (EC) on Friday announced the first winners of the “European Capitals of Inclusion and Diversity” award. Cologne (Germany) became the absolute winner in the category of cities with more than 50,000 inhabitants. The city of Gothenburg (Sweden) came in second and Barcelona (Spain) came in third.
The region of Andalusia (Spain) has won with a comprehensive plan to include the Roma community in the third category, focused exclusively on Roma inclusion. The city of Gothenburg (Sweden) took second place in this category and the city of Gradinari (Romania) took third place.
Application to the Central European University Roma Graduate Preparation Program 2022/23 are open and due by April 8th.
European Parliament representatives, the European Commission and the Council of Europe Development Bank, together with local authorities, Roma communities and private sector organizations, will launch a pilot project to promote affordable housing solutions for Roma.
The initiative, known as the HERO pilot project – Housing and Empowerment for Roma – is funded by the European Parliament (EP), managed by the European Commission (EC) and implemented by the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB) together with local partners in the Slovak Republic, Bulgaria and Romania. The aim of the project is to test an innovative model of social investment that addresses the socio-economic exclusion of disadvantaged people, such as marginalized Roma.
An article on Roma DNA.
Dunja Mijatović, the Council of Europe Human Right commissioner stated “… my thoughts are with Ukrainian Roma who not only suffer from the consequences of the horrific war in Ukraine but also often face discrimination and prejudices in Europe when fleeing Ukraine.”
Well, they are not welcome anywhere, unfortunately.
A debate on the difficulties of integration for Roma. Unfortunately, with the usual stereotypes of 80% of the Roma being poor, travelling, uneducated, etc. all the while saying there are 12 millions of them, which, if they all corresponded to the stereotypes would be much more visible.
The speech of the UN Secretary General on the occasion of the International Roma Day.
Some articles on the International Roma Day.
More articles on the international Roma day.
An essay by Michal Mižigar on the origins and myths of April 8th.
The traumatic events that Sinti and Roma have been confronted with in the past few decades have led to a special emphasis on self-empowerment. They still have to deal with stereotypes on a daily basis, and only a few manage – against all odds – to build a balanced life for themselves. This led to a shift in focus – away from seeking validation in society and towards self-empowerment and healing. This new basis of the Roma movement aims to regain authority over its own representation and knowledge production.
Many Roma in the Ukraine have no official papers, not even a birth certificate. This is clearly more prevalent in the countryside and in the Southwestern part of the country, although the number of Roma without papers is difficult to assess. Now, as refugees from the War, they are doubly discriminated.
Well, no surprise, unfortunately. They face discrimination. No surprise because the attitudes of the countries to where they flee are negative towards Roma.
Bad.
Deutsch 
English (UK) 
Français