discrimination Archives

Roma and Travellers in Six Countries

Category: Roma and Travellers | Types of resource: Survey Results | Year: 2020 | Author: European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights |

Roma and Travellers living in western EU countries are less often in the limelight than those living in central, eastern and southern EU countries. While they represent a smaller proportion of the population in the west, they also face problems with social exclusion, marginalisation and discrimination.

This report presents findings from the survey conducted by FRA in 2019 covering Roma and Travellers populations in Belgium, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United Kingdom. The survey included interviews with almost 4,700 Roma and Travellers, collecting information on more than 8,200 individuals living in their households. The findings present a bleak, but familiar, picture of discrimination and deprivation fuelled by anti-Gypsyism. Almost half of the Roma and Travellers surveyed felt discriminated against and experienced hate-motivated harassment, in the year before the survey.

The survey results presented here show the urgent need for the post-2020 Strategic EU Framework for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation to accelerate Roma inclusion efforts that can break the vicious cycle of social exclusion, discrimination and poverty that contributes to such disturbing results.

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Roma Early Childhood Inclusion + Bulgaria Report (2020)

The Republic of Bulgaria has endeavoured, over the last three decades, to address the stark injustices evident in the socioeconomic situation of the majority of its Roma citizens and as evidenced in the country’s National Roma Integration Strategy 2012–2020. These efforts have accelerated since 2007, when Bulgaria became a full member of the European Union (EU). At present, Bulgaria is making important steps towards creating a national framework for early childhood development, a goal that remains high on the national agenda, and towards developing a more integrated approach to support parents and children in the early years. This RECI+ Report carries the explicit intention of providing Bulgarian authorities and civil society with a timely and informed account of the situation of Bulgarian Roma children during early childhood, and, in so doing, supporting government and other relevant actors to ensure equal and unhindered access to inclusive and integrated quality education, health, and social care for young Roma children and their families.

Read the policy brief in English here.

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A Good Practice Guide for improving outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Children in education

This report outlines good practice in the education of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller (GRT) school children in the UK. It interviews schools, provides case studies, and includes an overview of the findings from Traveller Movement’s three year education and advocacy project. Without a shadow of a doubt much more needs to be done to improve the attainment and educational outcomes for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller pupils in the UK.

Researchers highlight seven case studies where children and their families were assisted by the advocacy team. The presenting issues include: racist bullying; unmet Special Educational Needs; school exclusion; admissions and transport; discrimination; attendance and; elective home education. Each case evidences a high level of need by families, the complex and bureaucratic nature of school systems, and the level of advocacy required to address each issue. What was also apparent from analysing the casework was the level of prejudice and discrimination exhibited by schools, many of whom were unaware that GRT are distinct ethnic groups. The Traveller Movement also interviewed schools with high GRT populations and good attainment to ask what they were doing to ensure GRT children reached their full potential.

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Inclusion from the start: guidelines on inclusive early childhood care and education for Roma children

The publication is the fruit of joint collaboration between the Council of Europe and UNESCO, which are committed to supporting the well-being and flourishing of Roma children and their right to education and development from birth. It is a concrete follow-up to the recommendations arising from an expert meeting on “Toward quality education for Roma children: transition from early childhood to primary education” organised in 2007 by the two bodies. It is hoped that the Guidelines will incite greater attention to, and above all, appropriate actions for, young Roma children by providing clear policy and programmatic pointers to conceiving an inclusive early childhood care and education system.

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Dosta! Toolkit against anti-Gypsyism

Types of resource: Tool | Year: 2016 and older | Author: Council of Europe | Region: European region |

The Dosta! campaign toolkit was conceived to help you understand what the campaign is about and how you can use it to combat anti-Gypsyism by taking concrete actions at the local level. The toolkit includes a video kit that you, or media professionals, can use free of charge while reporting on Roma.

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Roma Early Childhood Inclusion+ Slovakia Report (2017)

The Roma Early Childhood Inclusion (RECI)+ Slovakia Report (2017) maps the current state of the system of early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Slovakia. In particular it identifies and analyses the obstacles of access to quality preschool education for Slovakian Romani children. It underlines the undeniable importance and long-

term positive impact of quality early care and preschool education, especially for children who come from socially and economically disadvantaged environments. The low investment in ECEC places Slovakia far below the Europe 2020 target on kindergartens participation for children aged 4 to 6, in fact in Slovakia the issue of Roma children segregation in the education system is quite alarming (e.g. ethnically homogeneous Roma classes, Roma schools, separate floors, separate play yard). In Slovakia, the inappropriate preparation of teachers terms of working with children from diverse socio-cultural, ethnic, religious and linguistic backgrounds hampers Romani children inclusion in early care programs and compromises their growth and education.

Read the report in Slovak here.

Read the policy brief in English here.

Read the policy brief in Slovak here.

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Roma Empowerment and Support for Inclusion – Case study Belfast, Northern Ireland

This case study features the potential of small scale community based interventions and the need to have strong anti-discrimination, social justice and peace-building components when working on Roma inclusion.

Under the Capacity building of Roma supporting partners project, carried out by the International Step by Step Association (ISSA) in partnership with Bernard van Leer Foundation (in 2014-2016), three case studies on Roma Empowerment and Support for Inclusion were developed. This is one of the three case studies developed after the projects in Italy, Belgium and the UK/Northern Ireland. A “Synthesis report of the Case Studies in Ghent, Belfast and Rome – Policy Recommendation” is available here.