“Romania needs to step up efforts to eliminate discrimination and
improve Roma inclusion”, says Commissioner Hammarberg
Strasbourg, 16/12/10 –
“Roma continue to face persistent poverty and discrimination in Romania.
Political determination and comprehensive action are urgently needed to
improve their situation” said today the Council of Europe Commissioner
for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, publishing a letter addressed to
the Prime Minister of Romania, Emil Boc, following the Commissioner’s
visit to Romania last October.
The Commissioner is concerned about the anti-Roma rhetoric expressed by
some public figures and media, as well as about the weak implementation
of anti-discrimination legislation. “Roma are discriminated against in
various areas, not least in employment, education, housing and health
care. The government should strengthen its efforts and find inclusive
solutions”.
As concerns housing in particular, Commissioner Hammarberg notes that
most Roma live in communities segregated from
the majority population, without access to basic services such as
electricity, running water, central heating, and waste disposal. Forced
evictions of Roma families who do not have proof of tenancy pose serious
problems: “The right to adequate housing should be safeguarded at all
times, and alternative decent shelter should be provided by the
authorities in all cases of evictions”.
The Commissioner also underlines the need to strengthen the capacity of
local authorities and non-governmental organisations to undertake action
to improve the living conditions of Roma and foster their social
inclusion. In this context, he welcomes the government’s plan to create
mobile units that would assist municipalities in creating community
projects aimed at fighting Roma marginalisation, and recommends the
swift implementation of the plan in co-operation with Roma civil
society.
Commissioner Hammarberg points at the high rates of unemployment among
Roma as an additional obstacle to the efforts aimed at alleviating their
poverty. “Discrimination in access to employment on grounds of Roma
ethnic background is an obstacle for many Roma
seeking employment. Resolute action is urgently needed to ensure the
long-term integration of Roma into the labour market”.
As regards access of Roma to education, the Commissioner is deeply
worried by the fact that a large number of Roma children do
not attend schools, and by their high drop-out rates. He also deplores
the continuing segregation of Roma students in schools. “In spite of
promising initiatives undertaken by the authorities in recent years to
tackle this problem, in some communities Roma students are still in
separate classrooms or schools. More effective efforts are needed to
establish a truly inclusive educational system in line with the member
states’ undertakings contained in the Strasbourg Declaration on Roma,
adopted last October”.
Finally, the Commissioner recommends the systematic teaching of the
Council of Europe’s Factsheets on Roma History in schools, crucial to
increasing understanding and respect. “Knowledge about the persecution
endured by the Roma populations throughout the centuries is essential
for better understanding this minority, and is a key element in fighting
prejudice” added the Commissioner.
Read
the Letter addressed to the Prime Minister of Romania
Read the Prime Minister’s reply
Press contact in the Commissioner’s Office:
Stefano Montanari, +33 (0)6 61 14 70 37;
stefano.montanari@coe.int
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