Deprived of their human rights – Parliament backs report to tackle intolerable anti-gypsyism in Europe
Date
Sections
Strasbourg, 25 October 2017
Today the Parliament adopted the report on protecting fundamental rights of Roma people in the EU. The report recognises anti-gypsyism as a horizontal issue, and demands a range of policies from desegregation measures in public services to monitoring of anti-discrimination programmes. The ambitious report is a firm condemnation of the current predicament of Roma people in Europe, and a call to action for the Commission and member states.
S&D Group Spokesperson for Roma issues and author of the report, Soraya Post, said:
"Roma have been deprived of their human rights and discriminated against for 800 years. Anti-gypsyism is a specific a form of racism, and the results are seen at every level of European society. 80% of Roma parents live at risk of poverty, as well as their children who, in 47% of cases, do not attend early education. One third of Roma households live without running water or access to a toilet, shower or bathroom inside. This continues into adult life with 63% of young Roma not in employment, education or training in 2016, compared to the EU average of 12%. This is an intolerable reality in Europe, and more can be done to improve it.
"For the sake of building mutual trust, we demanded strongly that member states and the Commission set up Truth and Reconciliation Commissions to acknowledge the persecution, exclusion and disownment of Roma throughout the centuries. The results of this should be documented in an official white paper. As well as this, the history of Roma should become part of the curriculum in schools. We also call on member states to condemn and sanction hate speech against Roma, and the Commission to establish a working definition of anti-gypsyism for member states to apply. We also need member states to clearly guarantee that Roma people are equal before the law; we cannot tolerate this racism or the terrible inequality it causes."
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