GFoD and ERGO Network Roma rights experts take part in the UN Commission for Social Development session
The 61st United Nations Commission for Social Development session took place on 6-15 February. The priority theme this year was “Creating full and productive employment and decent work for all as a way of overcoming inequalities to accelerate the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”.
The Roma rights expert Brisilda Taco draw attention to the recent data of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights on Roma employment in the EU during the side event “Overcoming the barriers of full and productive employment focusing on social hierarchical discriminatory practices based on work and descent” organized by the Inclusivity Project and Global Forum of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent (GFoD).
Her main points raised in the presentation were the following:
- 58% of Roma aged 20 to 64 were not in paid work in 2021
- 56% of the surveyed Roma aged 16–24 were NEET in 2021
- discrimination experiences in employment doubled on average between 2016 and 2021, with very third of Roma older than 16 experiencing discrimination due to being Roma when looking for work in the last 12 months
Brisilda also emphasized the challenges Roma throughout the EU and Western Balkans encounter in accessing decent jobs including:
- Lack of vocational training
- Skills mismatch and over education
- Lack of professional capacities and appropriate education
- No information on employment programs
- Discrimination at work
- Lack of urban transport in/to some Roma settlements
- Underpaid jobs exacerbating inequalities
- Exploitation by employers
To know more, you can read the full presentation here.