USA has expressed “major concern” regarding discrimination against Roma in Romania.
In its annual “Human Rights Report” about Romania issued recently, US Department of State says: “Roma faced persistent poverty and had poor access to government services, few employment opportunities, high rates of school attrition, inadequate health care, and pervasive discrimination.”
The US report talks about police brutality, pervasive societal discrimination, anti-Roma slogans and banners, destruction of houses and cars and setting a house on fire in Roma community in Sanmartin and Roma taking refuge in woods, setting fire to several stables belonging to Roma in Sancraieni, anti-Roma messages on a politician’s blog, denial of access or refusal of service to Roma in many public places including bars/clubs, repeated refusal of a doctor in Vartop village to treat Roma patients, likelihood of ethnic Roma to live below the poverty line five times as compared to majority population, large exclusion from administrative and legal system, 4.9 percent of Roma lacking birth certificate, lack of identity cards excluding many Roma from various programs, inadequate and ineffective government assistance to the Roma, etc.
Report also refers to non-completion of high school by 95 per cent Roma; 23 percent illiteracy among Roma; discrimination by teachers and other students against Romani students; reports of Romani children being placed in the back of classrooms and of teachers ignoring Romani students and of unimpeded bullying of Romani students by other schoolchildren; placing of Romani students in separate classrooms from other students or in separate schools; school segregation cases in Albeni, Corabia, Cugir, and Polovraci; refusal by a kindergarten teacher in Magheru to enrol the twins of a Romani woman for several years; etc.
It also mentions a report which said that approximately 60 percent of Roma lived segregated from the majority population in communities with substandard housing and without basic governmental services, such as schools, adequate health care, running water, electricity, and waste disposal. “Stereotypes and use of discriminatory language against Roma were widespread; journalists and even high ranking officials frequently made discriminatory statements”, it adds.
The Romani population was estimated at between 1.8 and 2.5 million in Romania by this report.
*Article provided by Rajan Zed. The version on this blog is edited, by me, for brevity and clarity.
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Antiziganism
I found the following post on the Amnesty International USA blog. I think it is a really helpful guide for anyone who wants to better understand the Roma plight. It was first posted in 2009, but it is still extremely relevant. Also, I think it is important to name a problem, for practical reasons (like, talking about it!) and for psychological reasons. To name a problem is to identify it, which is the first step to solving it. Antiziganism is a word that means hostility and prejudice directed toward the Romani people. You can find the original post here: http://blog.amnestyusa.org/tag/roma/
Perhaps the most oppressed people in history, Roma – commonly referred to as Gypsies – have been persecuted since they arrived in Europe in 1300 C.E.
The New York Times reports that institutionalized and societal prejudice against Roma is enflaming violence in Europe:
[...]
Prejudice against Roma — widely known as Gypsies and long among Europe’s most oppressed minority groups — has swelled into a wave of violence. Over the past year, at least seven Roma have been killed in Hungary, and Roma leaders have counted some 30 Molotov cocktail attacks against Roma homes, often accompanied by sprays of gunfire.
[...]
In addition to Mr. Koka’s death, there were the slayings of a Roma man and woman, who were shot after their house was set ablaze last November in Nagycsecs, a town about an hour’s drive from Tiszalok in northeastern Hungary. And in February, a Roma man and his 4-year-old son were gunned down as they tried to escape from their home, which was set on fire in Tatarszentgyorgy, a small town south of Budapest.
[...]
Experts on Roma issues describe an ever more aggressive atmosphere toward Roma in Hungary and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, led by extreme right-wing parties, whose leaders are playing on old stereotypes of Roma as petty criminals and drains on social welfare systems at a time of rising economic and political turmoil. As unemployment rises, officials and Roma experts fear the attacks will only intensify.
[...]
Persecution against Roma, as detailed in just one Amnesty International press release from yesterday, is nothing new. Neither is the unwillingness of authorities to stop the oppression. In the Czech republic, for instance:
[...]
Roma… continue to suffer discrimination at the hands of both public officials and private individuals, including in the areas of housing, education, health care and employment.
Not only do they face forced evictions, segregation in education and racially motivated violence, but they have been denied justice when seeking redress for the abuses against them.
[...]
The history of Roma persecution goes back hundreds of years ago. Throughout 16-18th century, Roma were hanged without trial in Europe. In 1921, nonetheless, Czechoslovakia shortly recognized Roma as “nationality.” In 1933, Hitler ordered sterilization of Roma. Later, up to half a million Roma were killed in the Holocaust. In just one act, 4,000 Roma were gassed and cremated in Auschwitz on August 2, 1944. Unlike the Jewish victims, Roma victims of the Holocaust are rarely researched or commemorated.
With some activism in Eastern Europe in the 1990s, Roma still face institutional and social discrimination in Europe. In Italy, the government fingerprints them. In 2008, bodies of two drowned Roma children were left at the beach while Italians and tourists vacationed a few feet away.
As late as 1998, the state of New Jersey in the US had anti-Roma laws. Popular American TV star Judge Judy has used the word “Gypsy” at least once as a synonym for a “thief” on her show after 2005. While Judge Judy’s remark can be explained perhaps by her lack of knowledge of Roma issues, the same cannot be said about influential people in countries with large Roma populations. In one such state, Romania, the president called a journalist “dirty Gypsy” in 2007.
While many Roma have historically assimilated (accepted, for example, Islam in the Middle East and Christianity in Europe), scores of them choose to keep their ancestral, migratory way of life despite hundreds of years of slavery, universal persecution and genocide. Others have established enclaves in different countries where they demand integration and respect. Roma supposedly left India as a result of foreign invasion to avoid persecution. Their common name “Gypsy” is a misconception that Roma originated in Egypt.
Many of the unassimilated Roma demand freedom of travel and not be regulated.
A unique case of stateless people, Roma do not demand independence or even political autonomy. The Roma persecution has brought about little outrage throughout the world. The problem, in this case, is definitely the lack of awareness.
In my home country Armenia, for instance, the word “Bosha” is an insult – while it used to be the ethnic name for the Roma who have either entirely assimilated or prefer to be called Lom. Their language, Lomavren, a unique mixture with medieval Armenian, has long vanished.
It is time that the world stand up against Antiziganism. Perhaps Amnesty International should adopt the cause of fighting Antiziganism as one of its main goals?
Perhaps the most oppressed people in history, Roma – commonly referred to as Gypsies – have been persecuted since they arrived in Europe in 1300 C.E.
The New York Times reports that institutionalized and societal prejudice against Roma is enflaming violence in Europe:
[...]
Prejudice against Roma — widely known as Gypsies and long among Europe’s most oppressed minority groups — has swelled into a wave of violence. Over the past year, at least seven Roma have been killed in Hungary, and Roma leaders have counted some 30 Molotov cocktail attacks against Roma homes, often accompanied by sprays of gunfire.
[...]
In addition to Mr. Koka’s death, there were the slayings of a Roma man and woman, who were shot after their house was set ablaze last November in Nagycsecs, a town about an hour’s drive from Tiszalok in northeastern Hungary. And in February, a Roma man and his 4-year-old son were gunned down as they tried to escape from their home, which was set on fire in Tatarszentgyorgy, a small town south of Budapest.
[...]
Experts on Roma issues describe an ever more aggressive atmosphere toward Roma in Hungary and elsewhere in Central and Eastern Europe, led by extreme right-wing parties, whose leaders are playing on old stereotypes of Roma as petty criminals and drains on social welfare systems at a time of rising economic and political turmoil. As unemployment rises, officials and Roma experts fear the attacks will only intensify.
[...]
Persecution against Roma, as detailed in just one Amnesty International press release from yesterday, is nothing new. Neither is the unwillingness of authorities to stop the oppression. In the Czech republic, for instance:
[...]
Roma… continue to suffer discrimination at the hands of both public officials and private individuals, including in the areas of housing, education, health care and employment.
Not only do they face forced evictions, segregation in education and racially motivated violence, but they have been denied justice when seeking redress for the abuses against them.
[...]
The history of Roma persecution goes back hundreds of years ago. Throughout 16-18th century, Roma were hanged without trial in Europe. In 1921, nonetheless, Czechoslovakia shortly recognized Roma as “nationality.” In 1933, Hitler ordered sterilization of Roma. Later, up to half a million Roma were killed in the Holocaust. In just one act, 4,000 Roma were gassed and cremated in Auschwitz on August 2, 1944. Unlike the Jewish victims, Roma victims of the Holocaust are rarely researched or commemorated.
With some activism in Eastern Europe in the 1990s, Roma still face institutional and social discrimination in Europe. In Italy, the government fingerprints them. In 2008, bodies of two drowned Roma children were left at the beach while Italians and tourists vacationed a few feet away.
As late as 1998, the state of New Jersey in the US had anti-Roma laws. Popular American TV star Judge Judy has used the word “Gypsy” at least once as a synonym for a “thief” on her show after 2005. While Judge Judy’s remark can be explained perhaps by her lack of knowledge of Roma issues, the same cannot be said about influential people in countries with large Roma populations. In one such state, Romania, the president called a journalist “dirty Gypsy” in 2007.
While many Roma have historically assimilated (accepted, for example, Islam in the Middle East and Christianity in Europe), scores of them choose to keep their ancestral, migratory way of life despite hundreds of years of slavery, universal persecution and genocide. Others have established enclaves in different countries where they demand integration and respect. Roma supposedly left India as a result of foreign invasion to avoid persecution. Their common name “Gypsy” is a misconception that Roma originated in Egypt.
Many of the unassimilated Roma demand freedom of travel and not be regulated.
A unique case of stateless people, Roma do not demand independence or even political autonomy. The Roma persecution has brought about little outrage throughout the world. The problem, in this case, is definitely the lack of awareness.
In my home country Armenia, for instance, the word “Bosha” is an insult – while it used to be the ethnic name for the Roma who have either entirely assimilated or prefer to be called Lom. Their language, Lomavren, a unique mixture with medieval Armenian, has long vanished.
It is time that the world stand up against Antiziganism. Perhaps Amnesty International should adopt the cause of fighting Antiziganism as one of its main goals?
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Roma segregated by wall in Slovakia
Article from here: http://www.eubusiness.com/news-eu/slovakia-minorities.1mm
I was reading a similar article on the Sofia Echo, and I was horrified to see that people were posting racist bile about Roma at the end of an article that clearly shows unfair treatment of Roma and segregation. I am shocked and saddened-- prejudice and ignorance is rampant among people from neighbours to government officials. Please, whenever you see people posting racist nonsense about any group of people, feel free to correct them. It makes a difference! It educates other readers, and hopefully educates the writers.
(OSTROVANY) - Lucia Kucharova never cared much about the view from her window until its main feature became a wall separating her and more than 1,000 other Roma from the rest of their village.
The white concrete wall, built last month in Ostrovany, a village of 1,800 in eastern Slovakia, has locals as well as Roma and human-rights organisations fuming.
"It's discrimination, the mayor should have used the money to build houses for us instead," Kucharova, a 25-year-old Roma, told AFP.
The wall, which is 150 metres (yards) long and more than two metres high, cost 13,000 euros (19,300 dollars) to build and begins where the road ends in Ostrovany.
But Cyril Revak, the village mayor since 1991, is careful to avoid calling it a wall.
"The fence doesn't prevent the Roma from coming to the village," he said. "It just prevents them from entering private gardens and stealing. It wasn't just petty theft, especially in autumn.
"People don't grow vegetables in their gardens any more, there's no use -- everything gets stolen."
To get from the village to Kucharova's house on the other, rubbish-strewn side of the wall -- and the destitute world of some of the 27-member European Union's most impoverished citizens -- one has to splosh through mud along a slippery downhill path.
At the foot of the hill, Alena Kalejova sorts through the ubiquitous litter for butt-ends that she gratefully picks up from the muddy ground on a chilly, rainy day.
"The children have been stealing apples from the gardens but what can we do -- they are just children," admitted the 21-year-old Roma mother of one.
Apologetically, she adds: "Cigarettes are too expensive, we can hardly live on unemployment benefit at 150 euros a month."
Joblessness in this Roma community is almost 100 percent with most living on unemployment benefits and so-called activation work -- community service aimed at improving job skills.
"These days even the 'gadzos' have problems finding a job," concedes Lucia Kucharova, using the Roma word for "white people".
Her own education ended after nine years of school.
The wall dividing Ostrovany -- whose name can translate as "island village" -- has outraged human-rights and Roma associations.
"We have filed a suit with the prosecutor, we think the wall was built illegally and it discriminates against the Roma minority in Ostrovany," Alexander Patkolo, chairman of the Roma Initiative of Slovakia (RIS), told AFP.
Ostrovany is by no means the only island of Roma poverty in the country, which joined the European Union in 2004.
There are more than 600 Roma settlements in Slovakia where people live without electricity, sewage or running water, most located far from the relatively affluent capital Bratislava.
Behind the wall, in a shack of wood and corrugated iron, Lucia Kucharova's partner Martin proudly tells how he himself built their home, tensing his muscles to display a woman tattooed on his shoulder as he speaks.
"We are lucky to have a fridge, a stove and running water here," he said.
The young couple share a narrow bed with two daughters, while their youngest girl sleeps in her stroller.
Just a few kilometres from Ostrovany lies Slovakia's largest Roma settlement near the village of Jarovnice. Floods killed 58 people there in 1998.
A nation of 5.4 million, Slovakia is officially home to around 89,000 Roma, according to the 2001 national census.
But in reality, the Roma population is much higher.
"The actual number might be approximately 350,000 Roma," says Arne Mann, an ethnologist at the Slovak Academy of Sciences. The EU's entire Roma population is estimated to be 11-12 million.
Mann blames communism for having pushed Roma further toward the margins of Slovak society.
"Before World War II, there was good cooperation between Roma and farmers. Roma used to help during the harvest or with the laundry," he said.
"But after the post-war collectivisation, their help wasn't needed any more and segregation began."
In a 2008 survey, 82 percent of Slovaks said they did not want to have a Roma neighbour.
"The segregation of the Roma can lead to similar problems as France had to cope with during nationwide riots in suburbs in late 2005," ethnologist Mann warns.
Rioting in France, the country's worst urban violence since the 1968 student revolts, was concentrated in deprived out-of-town housing estates largely populated by people of Arabic or African origin.
"It's a natural defence mechanism of people pushed to the fringes of society," Mann said.
I was reading a similar article on the Sofia Echo, and I was horrified to see that people were posting racist bile about Roma at the end of an article that clearly shows unfair treatment of Roma and segregation. I am shocked and saddened-- prejudice and ignorance is rampant among people from neighbours to government officials. Please, whenever you see people posting racist nonsense about any group of people, feel free to correct them. It makes a difference! It educates other readers, and hopefully educates the writers.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Famous Roma
I thought for a change I would post some more light hearted information about Roma. There are a lot of famous Roma and people with Roma ancestry... writers, singers, researchers, performers, etc , including some wildly famous people that you may not have expected *cough cough Elvis cough cough* Check out this site: http://www.imninalu.net/famousGypsies.htm and learn about some groovy Roma!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Expulsions of Roma carried out unlawfully
Press release - 146(2010)
European migration policies discriminate against Roma people
Strasbourg, 22.02.2010 – “European governments are not giving Roma migrants the same treatment as others who are in similar need of protection. Roma migrants are returned by force to places where they are at risk of human rights violations” said Thomas Hammarberg, Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, in his latest Viewpoint.
The Commissioner stresses that the EU Directives impact differently on Roma than on other EU citizens. “The protective provisions of the ‘Free Movement Directive’ are breached much more easily in respect of Roma than any other identifiable group. Expulsions of Roma have been carried out in contravention of EU law. In other cases destruction of Roma dwellings has been used as a method to persuade Roma to leave ‘voluntarily’”.
Commissioner Hammarberg underlines that pushing Roma families between countries is inhumane and it victimises in particular children – many of whom were born and grown up in the host countries before they were deported. Expulsions between EU countries have also failed in a great number of cases as the Roma have used their right as EU citizens to move within the European Union area.”
“States now spending considerable amounts to return Roma to their countries of origin, would make better use of this money by investing in measures to facilitate these persons’ social inclusion in their own societies” he said.
Article from the Council of Europe: here
Unfortunately this shunting around of Roma families is terribly common world-wide. Many Roma are forced into housing complexes that are actually ghettos with no running water, electricity, or plumbing. The governments are not the only force acting against Roma-- these Roma settlements are often targets for hate-crimes including bombings, shootings, and arson. It's insanity to just turf out an ethnic group who migrated from India in the 12th century. Human rights are not being upheld. We have the information and the news reports. What we don't yet have is change!
Activists implore Pope to uphold “Christian values” on Roma “apartheid” in Europe
Hindu and Jewish activists have portrayed His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI as “un-Christian” for not strongly supporting the cause of the Roma who face “apartheid” conditions in Europe.
Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman; and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement issued in Nevada today, said that the condition of the Roma had most of the signs of “apartheid” and that it was happening right under the Pope’s nose in Europe. Hindus & Jews had repeatedly appealed him in the past to openly embrace the Roma cause and come up with a White Paper on their plight but without any success.
Zed and Rabbi Freirich quoted from The Bible: “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd (Matthew 9:36).” “The Lord builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the outcasts of Israel (Psalm 147:2).” “For I will restore health to you, and your wounds I will heal, declares the Lord, because they have called you an outcast (Jeremiah 30:17).” “Behold, at that time I will deal with all your oppressors. And I will save the lame and gather the outcast, and I will change their shame into praise and renown in all the earth (Zephaniah 3:19).” “…let the outcasts of Moab sojourn among you; be a shelter to them from the destroyer… (Isaiah 16:4).” “Whoever says, ‘I am in the light,’ while hating a brother or sister, is still in the darkness (First Epistle of John 2: 9).” “…Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another (Gospel According to John 13: 34).”
Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Jonathan Freirich, argued that Jesus Christ clearly told the world to help the helpless, defenceless and downtrodden and love them, and He showed the way. The Pope, being the acclaimed representative of the Catholic God on earth, should raise his voice against continuous Roma maltreatment. The Pope should act like a shepherd for a shepherd-less flock of Roma, just as Jesus Himself said that He had sheep from other pastures. The Pope should recognize, acknowledge and affirm the Roma as children of God who deserved to be treated like all other people—as equals. As the Vicar of Christ, the Pope should offer the Roma protection, compassion, and love. In the case of the Roma, the Pope should act as God wanted him to act, as distinctly defined in The Bible.
Hindu statesman Zed and Jewish leader Freirich further quoted “Leviticus 19:33-34”: “When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizen among you. You shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” As this commandment seemed to come directly from God, it should never be violated, especially not by the Pope, Zed and Freirich pointed out.
The Pope needed to re-study his scriptures, the Word of God, which was supposed to guide and direct him, and rise to the challenge of directing his followers to work to end the Roma “apartheid” in Europe. We were not asking much from the Pope, just suggesting to him that he be a true Christian, Rajan Zed and Rabbi Freirich said and added that it was a sin to silently watch about 15 million Roma suffer day after day for the last about 1200 years, and doing nothing about it.
According to Zed and Rabbi Freirich, the alarming condition of the Roma people was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world as they reportedly regularly faced social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, language barriers, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, racist slogans on Internet, etc.
Zed and Freirich stressed that besides the absence of any serious efforts at their inclusion, the Roma were being used as “punching bags” and blamed for the social ills of Europe. European neglect was trapping the Roma in cycles of persecution and poverty. It was shocking, reprehensible, hazardous and immoral. Being the most powerful religious leader in the world, it was the Pope’s moral obligation to make efforts to stop the frequent human rights violations suffered by Roma. Hindu Zed and Jewish Freirich offered help to Pope, if asked, to support the Roma cause.
*Information provided by Rabbi Jonathan Freirich
It is important for people with political, social, and religious influence to use their power to help people, to create harmony, and to encourage tolerance and equality. It would be a wonderful thing if the Pope, or any other important political or religious leaders, took the plight of the Roma to heart and encouraged governments and people alike to give the Roma their rights. No matter your religion or culture, we all deserve our human rights.
Tuesday, March 2, 2010
A call for the European Union to officially declare Roma maltreatment as “apartheid”
And then resolve it.
** Information courtesy of Rabbi Joanthan Freirich
It makes sense to name a thing in order to understand it and treat it correctly. The mistreatment of Roma is rampant. If we are ever going to over come racism, we must be totally honest about what racism exists in order to educate people, and then to achieve equality. I agree that the data is in and the polls gave been taken. We know that it's bad. Let's admit it and do something to change it. I'm always saying to write to officials, email your senators. They listen, and they write back! Jeanne Shaheen of NH always writes back to me when I contact her about issues that I'm concerned about, and I know she's listening, and she often tells me what I could do next. Communication is the best. It gets things done!
Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman; and Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich, prominent Jewish leader in Nevada and California in USA; in a statement issued in Nevada on 22 February 2010, said that condition of Roma in Europe had most of the signs of an “apartheid” and everybody involved was explicitly aware of it. No more think tanks, research, analysis, surveys, and polls were needed to measure the gravity of Roma societal exclusion, as it was starkly visible to the naked eye.
Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, and Rabbi Freirich, argued that most of much publicized fancy plans/programs launched by European Union and its various bodies, including “Decade of Roma Inclusion”, had failed to make a major dent to bring Roma at par with rest of the population. It was now time for Europe to come out of those cleverly coined terminology of Roma “projects/plans/programs” and “declaration/pledge/promise/initiative” photo-ops and do something “concrete and real” for Roma upliftment.
Rajan Zed and Jonathan Freirich urged various religious leaders and organizations of Europe to openly embrace and bless the Roma cause as religion told us to raise the voice for the helpless. It was a sin to watch the Roma suffer day after day for the last about 1200 years and not do anything about it.
Zed and Freirich pointed out that it was shocking to see how inhumanely Europe was treating its about 15 million Roma brothers-sisters. It was clearly reprehensible, hazardous and immoral and a blatant failure of Europe to meet its international obligations. When it came to Roma, Europe frequently failed to implement its own laws distinctly mentioned in its own books.
Rajan Zed and Rabbi Jonathan Freirich further said that alarming condition of Roma people was a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world as they reportedly regularly faced social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, language barriers, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, racist slogans on Internet, etc.
Besides the absence of any serious efforts at their inclusion, Roma were being used as “punch bag” and blamed for the social ills of Europe and many politicians even exploited segregation to their political advantage. European neglect was trapping Roma in cycles of persecution and poverty. Roma issue should be one of the highest priorities of human rights agenda of Europe and world, thus reversing the history of persecution, Zed and Freirich stressed.
** Information courtesy of Rabbi Joanthan Freirich
It makes sense to name a thing in order to understand it and treat it correctly. The mistreatment of Roma is rampant. If we are ever going to over come racism, we must be totally honest about what racism exists in order to educate people, and then to achieve equality. I agree that the data is in and the polls gave been taken. We know that it's bad. Let's admit it and do something to change it. I'm always saying to write to officials, email your senators. They listen, and they write back! Jeanne Shaheen of NH always writes back to me when I contact her about issues that I'm concerned about, and I know she's listening, and she often tells me what I could do next. Communication is the best. It gets things done!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
