La ville interculturelle construit ses politiques et son identité sur la reconnaissance explicite que la diversité peut représenter une ressource pour le développement de la société.It is estimated that 10 000 Roma and Travellers live in Barcelona. Equal rights are declared in the constitution, but discrimination against Roma is common (access to education, housing, services, labour market etc.). Some of the inequalities faced by the Roma community in Barcelona include:
- The rate of illiteracy among the Roma population is almost 4 times higher than among the rest of the Spanish population
- Unemployment is higher among Roma population (36.4%) than among the population of Catalonia as a whole (20.9%). There is higher unemployment among Roma men than women, who have become the family breadwinner
The city of Barcelona is helping to address the inequalities in the education system through a “school promoters” project. There are currently 9 promotors and 1 coordinator (all of them are Roma).
The school promoters contribute to school success and raising awareness of Roma culture. The 2018-2019 school year saw 720 children assisted through activities such as:
- Providing teaching and social-work professionals with tools for educating children and young people from their cultural specialty
- Raising awareness among professionals of the capacities and possibilities of success of Roma students
- Raising awareness of the values of Roma culture within the school curriculum and school life
- Raising awareness among parents of the need for regulated education
- Monitoring Roma children enrolled at primary and secondary schools
Presentation on Barcelona: social inclusion and the Roma people
