EUROPE's silence over ROMA women's RIGHTS

"Roma are the Europe's most discriminated minority", according to the European Agency for Human Rights. So, are we doing enough to change this situation?

U.N. Calls For Action On European “anti-‘Gypsy’” Discrimination. Photo by MintPress News.

In recent years much attention has been paid to the violation of fundemantal rights of Roma women by some European governments, international organisations and activists. But despite all the research, reports and special programmes, the plight of many Roma women has hardly changed, if, it has changed at all.

Many women continue to face  degrading treatment within their traditional customs and practices and endure widespread discrimination in the realisation of their fundamental human rights. In some cases being subjected to practices as extreme as coercive sterilisation. In light of these harmful attitudes and practices, Europe appears to be mute.

In some European countries, Roma women have been subjected to coercive sterilisation. In Central and Eastern European countries these practices could be ongoing, although it is hard to say exactly. Some Western European governments, for example Sweden, have approved compensation mechanisms for the victims but have yet to recognise the racial-targeting of these harmful systemic practices. The governments of Europe have been weak to give a proper remedy to victims, or more pressingly, to stop the practice once and for all. On the other hand, domestic violence is another reality faced by Roma women in a variety of European countries. In a survey among 237 Roma women in Macedonia, over 70% of the women interviewed stated that they had been victims of violence at the hands of their partners, their in-laws and other members of their families. Most of the cases are unreported due to a several factors such as, violence against women being culturally accepted in Roma families, a fear of being excluded and shamed by their relatives, further victimisation on the hands of civil society or the lack of trust in seeking legal help. A number of practical issues including the lack of alternative housing, employment opportunities and a lack of economic means to survive on their own make it practically impossible for Roma women escape from this situation of domestic violence. 

Child marriage and the human rights abuses correlated with it are problems present today in a variety of Roma communities throughout the old continent. Child marriage impedes girls from attending school and thereby, diminishes employment opportunities. At the same time, it also has a significant impact on the health situation of Roma girls and their infants as demonstrated by the increase in infant mortality among this ethnic group. Victims of child marriage also face heightened vulnerability to poverty, severe forms of exploitation and domestic violence.

There has not yet been any real effort of any international or national authority to adress the problem of child marriage among the Roma community, and to a certain extent this silence also rules in civil society groups.

At the same time, discrimination against the Roma on the basis of race and sex is common in several social services. School segregation, employment discrimination and limited access to health care are reported in many countries of Europe.

They remain far behind others in terms of educational attainment, employment levels, housing and health standards and they have almost no political representation. Their exclusion from society encourages prejudices and makes them victims of flagant racism. As concluded by the EU agency for human rights (FRA) “Roma are the Europe's most discriminated minority”. 

States have the responsibility to protect, preserve and develop minority cultures as part of the European heritage but, this work must go hand in hand with specific efforts to prevent practices that harm individuals and restrain their fundamental human rights. It is time to implement concrete actions, from the policy level to on the ground education, that guarantee all women and girls their fundamental freedoms and rights even if this means going against traditional customs and practices. As mere individuals, we all know that negative attitudes towards Roma are not just a concern for national authorities and international organisations, but also for all of us.

*Published in C'nect, Connecting Humanitarian Ideas and Experiences, Jul 2013.