Roma in Central and Eastern Europe

News / The 3rd European Public Health Conference again opened space for discussions for the health inequalities Roma in Central and Eastern Europe face

The 3rd European Public Health Conference organized by EUPHA took place in Amsterdam from November 10th to 13th. It gathered more than 1600 participants from around the world. Following the tradition established already during the previous conferences the Public health program of OSI together with EUPHA supported the participation of Roma activists from Eastern Europe in the poster and workshop sessions. Moreover, a special workshop focusing on closing the Roma health gap was additionally held on November 13. The workshop ‘Closing the health gap:addressing inequalities and inequality faced by Roma in health care’ enjoyed a significant interest having more than 40 participants from various backrounds: researchers, practitioners, Roma activists and representatives of different institutions including representatives of DG SANCO of the European Commission. The three presentations in the session included: Fighting inequalities in access to health care for Roma with Roma in Romania (Simona Barbu, Romani CRISS), The transformative policy switch: using a human security approach to tackle health inequalities in relation to Roma – the Romanian case(Romanita Iordache, OSI) and National-level advocacy for including Roma in the design, implementation and evaluation of health policies affecting them (Teodora Krumova, Center Amalipe). Simona Barbu presented the 15-year experience of Romani CRISS in introducing and promoting the position of the Roma health mediators. Starting from 25  the health mediators in Romania are now around 600. The good practice has been taken over by the Romanian government, but the Roma NGO has preserved its function for providing trainings and support of the health mediators. Romanita Iordache presented the OSI/REF program „Roma Leadership in Health: A Generation of New Professionals” together with three students grantees of the program in Romania. She underlined the undoubtful effect of the program in terms of establishing of a critical mass of Roma working in the field of health care and at the same time qualifying and capacitiating a generation of high-level Roma health professionals. The results of the two-year experience in Romania are already several students with outstending results in national and international competitions, scholarship programs and conferences. The challenge before the program in Romania now is to overcome the difficulties in implementing a European Social Fund project since the Structural funds are taking over the financing of the Program.

In turn, Teodora Krumova presented the experience and efforts of Center Amalipe for advocating for mainstreaming Roma issues in the health policy in Bulgaria and guaranteeing the Roma participation at all levels: from the decision-making process to monitoring and evaluation. In her speech she welcomed the position of the the representative of the Inequality unit of DG Sanco Charles Prize who had previously underlined during the plenary sessions the need for closer participation with NGOs for closing the health gaps and overcoming inequalities. She further refered to one of the conclusions from the previous-day workshops ‘Us vs. Them’ that in order to overcome this barrier community advocates were needed. Teodora Krumova presented the experience of Center Amalipe in two major policy directions: mainstreaming Roma issues in the National Health Map and providing supporting activities for overcoming health inequalities through the Structural funds. At present two major operations have been proposed for discussion  for the next Monitoring Committee of the Human Resources Development Operational Program  to be held on December 1st, 2010: Operation within priority axis 4: Improving the access to university education for students from vulnerable ethnic minority groups with special focus on Roma (providing sustainability for the Scholarship program supporting Roma medical students, and Operation within priority axis 5: Improving the access to healthcare in neighbourhoods populated by representatives of socially excluded groups with special focus on Roma.

Charlses Prise congratulated Center Amalipe and the Bulgarian Roma NGOs for the obvious success that has been achieved and shared that the formula of good cooperation between Roma activists, national government and EU officials should be popularized and multiplied in other countries as well.

An interesting discussion has been provoked after the presentations regarding the Program for Roma students in medical related specialities. Florin Nasture, representative of Roma Education Fund in Romania commented that all scholarship programs supporting Roma should guarantee that grantees preserved their relation with the communities and further contribute to overcoming the health gap. At the same time a Hungarian University representative shared the opinion that Roma do not need elite programs but rather programs directed to the most marginalized. The answer of Romanita Iordache however was a reference back to statement at the begining of her presentation that we should stop looking at Roma only as victims of marginalization but as potential which should be further developed. Teodora Krumova supported this statement pointing to some figured from the implementation of the program in Bulgaria. The Bulgarian case was additionally presented as a poster in the poster session.

 

Romanipen

ROMANIPEN, GYPSY IDENTITY

www.youtube.com

A thousand years ago various tribes from India began an exodus that converted them into a single and unique nation---the Roma or gypsies. Romanipen is the set of values or code that gypsies must follow to be true Roma, as they call themselves.

French Gypsies fight for rights in Bordeaux court

French Gypsies fight for rights in Bordeaux court

www.youtube.com

More than 140 Gypsy families have taken the city of Bordeaux to court for refusing them access to an adequate camping ground with sufficient clean water, sanitation and electricity. President Nicolas Sarkozy's government has in recent weeks launched a major and controversial crackdown on France's Roma Community.

Criminal Minds

Last night on the television show "Criminal Minds" a show about FBI Profilers hunting down some of the worst criminals in the U.S. the story was a "typical storybook myth" about the Romani. It followed a family who kidnapped children, females, and killed the parents. The girls had to be 10 years old because they were being prepared as a bride for the son. The show then traced this back for generations & used every stereotype it could, theft, superstitions, etc. This is an extremely popular show in the states. I was so disgusted, I don't know why I thought they would have had a little more awareness, why I am always so shocked, because the stereotypes are just too common, but I was.

 

Jade Lisette

EU Commissioner

November 16, 2010
Eu: Commissioner Reding to justice calls "scandalous" the situation of Roma in Europe.
"10 million people living in absolute poverty."

The situation in which the Roma live in Europe "is scandalous." It is the complaint that the EU Commissioner for Justice, Viviane Reding, adopted yesterday in Lausanne in Switzerland during a press conference on relations between the EU and Switzerland.
"First of all it is a scandalous question for all Europeans," said Reding. "We in Europe's largest minority: 10 million people living in absolute poverty, without access to housing, which often lack access to health care," he said. Reading has found it particularly "outrageous" that children belonging to Roma communities do not have access to the school.
(Red.)

Kosovo

Dear friends,

I have my pleasure to announce our newly published report so called 'Repatriation Without Responsibility: The Nature and Implication of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptians Force Repatriation in Kosovo', which was presented at the conference 'Ethnic Minorities- Challenges and Obstacles for a Successful Integration', organized and printed by Forum 2015.

The paper concludes that the re-integration of forcibly returnees will remain difficult due to the dismal conditions under which Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian communities live and it will only impose on the sharing of space and limited resources and it will weaken social cohesion and it may stir towards local grievance and inter-personal and communal conflicts, thus contributing to social instability in Kosovo.

Enjoy reading it and looking forward for your feedback.

Best Regards,

 

Bekim Syla,
RAD Center
Fehmi Agani street No 10, Prishtina

Canadian Roma Project

Overview:

Endemic discrimination against Roma appears to be growing in all of Eastern Europe. Attacks on Roma, open discrimination and abuse by government officials exist, and appear to be part of a broad social pattern of discrimination and marginalization which seems likely to continue into the foreseeable future. There is evidence that this discrimination increases at times of economic hardship such as extreme poverty, segregated schools, lack of employment all on the grounds of race and colour.
As more Roma settle in Canada, mostly in the GTA, we need to educate the public, especially other students as these children are being integrated into Canadian society.
In order to ensure productive and educated future Canadians, education must take place at all levels, especially at schools.
The Roma Community & Advocacy Centre of Toronto is offering a program to Canadian schools at the primary and secondary levels to acquaint students with the origins, history, culture and language of the Roma people. We also address the current situation of the Roma people in the former Soviet-Bloc countries which is forcing many Roma families to seek Convention-refugee status here in order to escape widespread systemic discrimination and persecution. We also address the issues facing the recent arrivals as they attempt to integrate into Canadian society.
A program was launched in 1988 but due to lack of funds is virtually non existent.
Let us help to ensure that Canada in not a place of hate & discrimination and that here in Toronto, the Roma will not be treated as the "Eternal Outsider"