Over 100 Roma and Traveller women met (in person or online) from 24 to 26 November 2021 at the 8th International Roma Women’s Conference “Protecting the Human Rights and Dignity of Roma and Traveller Women in times of crises”, held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg, to discuss the challenges they face, including threats to the fundamental right to live a life free of violence, both online and offline.

The COVID-19 sanitary crisis has seen an increase in hate speech against Roma and Traveller communities including against women and girls. Rates of domestic violence have swelled, difficult access to digital learning increased the risk of girls dropping out of school and heightened their likelihood of being forced into early marriages. Roma and Traveller women are confronted with intersectional discrimination and violence.

The #IstanbulConventionSavesLives