Tag Archives: Discrimination

News Eastern Europe Poland Ukraine

Romnja in Poland

Published by:

“Being a Roma woman is being a warrior.” Racism is everyday life for Roma. “We are independent, we are strong and we make our dreams come true” – this is how 28-year-old Olena, a lawyer from Ukraine, replied to the question about what Romani women are like. Olena is one of the 6 heroines of the second instalment of the series of portraits of Roma women prepared by the W Torona Dialogu Foundation. The goal of the campaign is clear – it’s time for Roma women to come out of the shadows and talk about themselves on their own terms and in their own words.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia: Conference

Published by:

Discrimination is a big issue in Slovenia, but everyone can help ensure that everyone receives decent treatment and equal opportunities. These are the main messages of the conference of the European co-financed project Let’s face discrimination, with which the Defender of the Principle of Equality, the Academy of Theatre, Radio, Film and Television of the University of Ljubljana (AGRFT), the Association of Municipalities of Slovenia and the Prizma Foundation raise awareness about protection against discrimination.

Croatia News Eastern Europe

Croatia and Racism

Published by:

Social Democrat MP Romana Nikolić gave a lecture at the Faculty of Philosophy in Osijek entitled “Antigypsyism” in which she pointed out the problem of discrimination and marginalization and the lack of integration faced by the Roma in Croatia. According to her, the poor social status of the Roma is clear based on statistics: monthly incomes place more than 92% of Roma households at risk of poverty, 85% of households use social services, and a third of Roma live in dilapidated and inadequate buildings. 70% of them also live in segregated settlements without social amenities.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany and Racism

Published by:

In Germany, the number of reported crimes and discrimination against Sinti and Roma is increasing. The German federal government’s antigypsy commissioner complains about everyday racism that cuts across all areas of society. An interview with Mehmet Daimagüler about causes and solutions.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenian and the Roma “Problem”

Published by:

Another article on the Slovenian village of Dobruška and its “Roma Problem”. According to the article, 350 Roma live there, and only two have work. Again, the question whether a Roma councillor would help.

In all these articles, the real question, i.e. why are all these Roma unemployed, is only addressed in a one way direction: Roma re not qualified, do not want to work, and so on, but never, that even with qualifications, nobody wants to give them work.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

Published by:

The Slovene Ombudsman Peter Svetina visited the municipalities of Škocjan, Sevnica and Radeče, where he met with mayors. In Škocjan, he was informed about the problems they have with individual Roma. At the same time, Svetina emphasized that positive discrimination against the Roma minority cannot discriminate against the rights of the majority population. After the meeting he clarified the statemen, saying Roma population have legislation which protects them, “but positive discrimination cannot discriminate against the rights of the majority population”, but the right balance must be found. “Also, protective legislation does not give the Roma population a free hand for criminal acts”.

Germany News Western Europe

Hannover and Racism

Published by:

The City of Hannover has admitted that they discriminated against Roma for years.

Germany News Western Europe

Germany, Roma, and Discrimination

Published by:

Several articles about the constant discrimination faced by Roma in Germany. Be it searching for job or as refugees, the picture is not flattering for Germany.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Positive Discrimination?

Published by:

A statement by the Ombudsman Peter Svetina can raise a few eyebrows.  He visited the municipalities of Škocjan, Sevnica and Radeče, where he met with the mayors and opened the Ombudsman’s Corner. In Škocjan, he was informed about the problems they have with individual Roma. He Svetina emphasized that positive discrimination against the Roma minority cannot discriminate against the rights of the majority population.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

Published by:

An interview with a catholic deacon on the “Roma Problem” in Slovenia. The deacon is not that clear cut on the roots of the problem and far less on potential solutions. Well, he at least helps some Roma.

News Eastern Europe North Macedonia

North Macedonia, Universities, and Roma

Published by:

Students from the Roma Association “Romaversitas” started a campaign against the abuse of quotas at the university and a correction in the application of the enrolment policy, after five Roma students who applied to the Faculty of Medicine were rejected from the state and private quota of the faculty.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

Published by:

Another article on the mayor’s initiative for changing the laws on social benefits clearly directed against the Roma minority without mentioning them.

There must be better solutions.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

Published by:

After a months-long campaign, 11 mayors and mayors of Dolenj, Belokrajna and Posavina municipalities in Slovenia submitted proposals for changes to social legislation to the National Assembly. Throughout the collection of signatures, the mayors announced that the purpose of the changes was to protect the benefits of children from socially difficult backgrounds and to encourage interest in the integration of the unemployed into the labour market.

They of course kept silent the fact that the proposals target Roma, because otherwise the proposals would be rejected as unconstitutional, because they are discriminatory. But it is obvious that problems such as children’s non-enrolment in school are primarily associated with the Roma. The mayor of Novo Mesto, Gregor Macedoni, who is at the head of the initiative, told STA that their initiative deals in a general way with the problem of children who, being born in a “certain social environment”, are marked by the fact that they have no future, and there is a high probability that, that they will not finish primary school. According to his estimate, there are 1.5 percent of such children in Slovenia.

News Eastern Europe Ukraine

Ukraine, War, and Minorities

Published by:

Roma displaced by the war still have problems with access to the labour market in the Ukraine. According to a study by an international charitable organization, which was conducted in May 2023 among Roma immigrants in the Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, Odesa, and Zakarpattia regions, the situation has improved.

However, there still are integration problems, discrimination, access to the labour market and ensuring the financial independence of immigrant families, information, and children’s access to education. The most difficult situation is in the Dnipropetrovsk and Zaporizhzhia regions.

News Eastern Europe Slovenia

Slovenia and Roma

Published by:

After several months of campaigning, 11 mayors and mayors of the municipalities of Dolenje, Belokraj and Posavina have finally submitted proposals for changes to social legislation to the National Assembly.  Under the slogan “For children from difficult social backgrounds”, voters’ signatures were collected in municipalities for amendments to four laws, the content of which is particularly discriminatory against Roma, even though Roma are never mentioned in the proposed legislation.

rroma.org
en_GBEN
de_DEDE fr_FRFR en_GBEN