Commissioner for Human Rights

Human Rights of Roma and Travellers

There is a shameful lack of implementation concerning the human rights of Roma, the biggest minority group in Europe, in spite of years of policies and programmes to improve the situation. The Roma population is worse off than any other group in Europe when it comes to education, health, employment, housing and political participation.

Roma continue to suffer from pervasive discrimination in all fields of life, fed by rampant anti-Gypsyism. Rhetoric increasingly used by public figures and the media has contributed to further hostility against Roma and increase marginalisation. They also face alarming levels of violence and abuse by law enforcement officials.

The Commissioner for Human Rights therefore pays particular attention to the protection of the human rights of Roma. She has in particular identified the following issues as priorities: combating hate speech and hate crime against Roma; combating segregation in education and promoting inclusive education; working towards the eradication of statelessness among Roma; preventing forced evictions of Roma and housing segregation; and removing obstacles to the freedom of movement of Roma in the context of international migrations.

The Commissioner regularly raises these topics with authorities in member states, and expresses her concerns and makes recommendations about persistent problems in various country monitoring reports.