MAINSTREAMING EMPOWERMENT OF ROMA GRASSROOTS WOMEN
The Roma movement is mainly male-dominated: the voice of women is not often heard. The reasons for this are multiple and interrelated. For instance: women’s status in their communities often does not allow them to speak out publicly and their level of education is lower than that of men. In fact, they face double discrimination: they are a marginalised group compared to both mainstream society and Roma men
Download the paper here
Roma Youth Advocacy Seminar 2017 in Brussels
Join us in Brussels to learn about European policy-making and civil society advocacy, and to raise young voices in front of the European Parliament, European Commission and other stakeholders to combat antigypsyism and to advance important issues for Roma communities.
This six days lasting seminar (March 23 to 30, 2017, including travel days) is organized by ternYpe International Roma Youth Network, ERGO Network and the Documentation and Cultural Centre & Central Council of German Sinti and Roma. It will gather 40 young Roma and non-Roma activists in order to strengthen their capacity as young advocates and leaders to tackle antigypsyism. During the seminar, the group will run a youth campaign against antigypsyism targeting EU level actors, like Members of the European Parliament and European Commission. The advocacy seminar is part of the “EU Roma Week” ahead of the 8 April – International Roma Day.
AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
The seminar aims to strengthen the capacity of the participants to understand the structures and working mechanisms of the EU institutions, as well as the current EU policies concerning Roma and against racism, and to develop advocacy strategies and campaigns raising-awareness about antigypsyism on European level.
The objectives of the activity are to:
“EU Roma Week” in the European Parliament
Roma Week 2017 takes places from 27th March to 3rd April 2017 in the European Parliament in Brussels and Strasbourg to mark the occasion of the International Roma Day on 8 April 2017. Roma Week 2016 resulted in the Slovak Presidency having two Council Conclusions on Roma with reference to the European Parliament’s 2015 resolution on antigypsyism and for the recognition of the Roma Genocide.
Objectives of “Roma Week”
Roma week 2017 is designed with the aim of bringing together Roma activists from the European Union to engage with key stakeholders in order to participate at the mid-term review of the EU Framework for the National Roma Integration Strategies and to engage in the advocacy strategy for EU Roma Policy post 2020. The objectives of Roma week will be mainstreamed into that strategy. Rather than having a Roma week geared towards public awareness, Roma week 2017 focuses on facilitating capacity building, networking and advocacy for Roma activists around five thematic areas: Antigypsyism, Employment, Monitoring, Youth and Women.
PROFILE OF THE PARTICIPANTS
Present will be Roma and non-Roma youth leaders, activists, multipliers, and volunteers who are active in Roma communities and experienced in working with Roma communities and/or Roma youth.
Participants must also:
DATES OF THE ACTIVITY
Arrival: March 23, 2017 (Thursday)
Program days: March 24 until March 29, 2017
Departure: March 30, 2017 (Thursday)
APPLICATION AND SELECTION
Complete Info Pack: download pdf
How to apply? Register in the online application form
Application deadline: February 26, 2017 (end of day)
Selection procedure: If you fit into the participants’ profile, you may submit an application until February 26 at midnight Central European Time. The preparatory team will select up the participants on the basis of the profile outlined above, ensuring also a balance between genders, geographical regions, different types of experiences and organizations. Within few days, we will inform the candidates whether their application has been accepted or rejected.
Joint statement: International Holocaust Remembrance Day: EU must tackle contemporary Antisemitism and Antigypsyism
Brussels, 27 January 2017 – Today on International Holocaust Remembrance Day, anti-racism organisations across Europe urge European governments to make Antisemitism, Antigypsyism and all forms of racism a priority, in a context of increasing hate speech and security threats against minorities.
The International Holocaust Day is a vital opportunity to remember the tragic events of the Holocaust and to reaffirm our commitment to ensure that such injustices are never to reoccur. We must take the opportunity to commemorate those who were subject to mass extermination during the Holocaust – including Jewish people, Roma, homosexuals and people with disabilities – and also those otherwise persecuted under the Nazi regime, such as people of African descent. Only by remembering can we hope to ensure the equality and safety for Jewish communities in Europe alongside all other ethnic and religious communities. We must never forget that around 6 million Jews and at least 500 000 Roma were exterminated during the Holocaust, based on notions of racial inferiority.
There is, however, a very real risk that these lessons are being forgotten. Last week, Bjoern Hoecke of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which promotes a xenophobic and racist agenda, criticised Berlin’s Holocaust memorial and questioned the need to dwell on the Holocaust as an aspect of German history. This is just one of many instances in previous months in which the growing tide of Europe’s political right wing have attempted to rally against minorities.
Since the Holocaust, harmful stereotypes and myths about Jewish people have persisted in Europe and these are increasingly materialising into deadly attacks, physical violence, hate speech (especially online), attacks against property, and the desecration of places of worship and cemeteries. Some European Jews feel forced to hide the fact that they are Jewish or have a Jewish background.
In Germany, official police statistics recorded some 1,300 antisemitic crimes nationwide in 2015. The Community Security Trust recorded 557 antisemitic incidents across the United Kingdom in the first six months of 2016, an 11% increase compared to the same period in 2015. 40% of 1,200 Jews surveyed in France said they avoided wearing symbols that identified them as Jews for fear of antisemitic attacks. In Poland, a study conducted by the Center for Research on Prejudice at the University of Warsaw finds a significant increase in negative attitudes toward Jews from 2014 to 2016.
Similarly, widespread Antigypsyism has persisted across Europe, and is deeply rooted in social and cultural attitudes and institutional practice. 80% of European Roma continue to live at risk of poverty.
In the current polarising context, we need to build strong coalitions and solidarity between communities and show a united front against hatred. We must actively work against insidious stereotypes, structural racism and expose groups and politicians that exploit them to pit communities against one another. In fighting for the rights and freedoms of Europe’s minorities, we must not forget the injustices that have taken place and be vigilant against similar acts of racism and hate.
EU institutions and Member States must take steps to prevent acts of hatred without stigmatising any community. This includes ensuring that States monitor, investigate and sanction hate crime and incitement to violence; developing detailed strategies to address specific forms of racism, including Antisemitism and Antigypsyism; and supporting cross-community initiatives by civil society.
For further information, contact:
Georgina Siklossy, ENAR Senior Communication and Press Officer
Tel: +32 (0)2 229 35 70 – Mobile: +32 (0)473 490 531 – E-mail: georgina@enar-eu.org – Web: www.enar-eu.org
Signatories:
European Network Against Racism (ENAR)
Association of African students in Europe (AASE)
Austrian Muslim Initiative
Black Activists Rising Against Cuts (BARAC UK)
Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en Belgique (CCIB)
Community Security Trust (CST)
Central Council of German Sinti and Roma
CEJI – A Jewish Contribution to an Inclusive Europe
European Roma Grassroots Organisation (ERGO Network)
European Roma Information Office (ERIO)
European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)
Federation of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO)
Open Republic Association against Anti-Semitism and Xenophobia – Otwarta Rzeczpospolita
Pan African Movement for Justice
Phiren Amenca
“The inclusion of the Roma community was encouraged and evaluated through a system of indicators developed by the ERGO Network”* – a story of success
Our Bulgarian member organisation Integro analysed the Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) process and Roma inclusion therein.
In Bulgaria the implementation of the CLLD in the 2014-2020 programming period started within the Rural Development Program 2014-2020, a successor of the LEADER approach. During the current period, the budget for implementation of local development strategies is significantly higher – so that it is expected that two times more local development strategies will be funded. With the help of ERGO Network’s quality audit tool, Integro analysed Roma integration in local development strategies and local action groups, and identified four steps that are important to take when wanting to improve Roma access to the CLLD programme.
WILL THE NEW ANTIGYPSYISM AGENDA SAVE THE LOST CAUSE OF ROMA INCLUSION?
Damian Draghici, Romanian Member of the European Parliament in the Socialists and Democrats Group gathered some of the most outstanding antigypsyism experts at the European Parliament on the occasion of the Human Rights Day on 7 December 2016.
Damian, a Roma musician from Romania who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) in Brussels since 2014, invited participants from all over Europe to discuss the “lost cause of antigypsyism”.
Each attendee demonstrated a substantial experience of Roma rights activism. They have now been gathered by Damian Draghici MEP to contemplate about changes to make to save the lost cause of Roma integration.
Jamen Gabriela Hrabanova, Deputy Director of ERGO Network delivered a speech in which she pointed out the deficiencies of the Roma Inclusion agenda. Gabriela shared the shocking reality of 600 Roma people, including 200 Roma children, who were evicted in the outskirts of Paris while the meeting was going on in Brussels. She also elaborated briefly on the reference paper on antigypsyism drafted by ERGO Network’s antigypsyism experts.
Jamen also added that saying the word ‘Gypsy’ has no moral stigma to it, therefore abusers would come from all ages and genders across all layers of society.
Participants acknowledged that antigypsyism is a specific form of racism towards Roma and Sinti who get stigmatized as Gypsies in the public imagination. Soraya Post, Roma MEP from Sweden highlighted that the term antigypsyism should always be applied when communicating about Roma inclusion instead of discrimination.
The audience was astonished to hear the results of the campaigns run in Romania to tackle antigypsyism in football. Valeriue Nicolae, new special representative of the secretary general at the Council of Europe also shared that he is building an international alliance to export results of the football campaigns run in Romania. He also elaborated on the involvement of Damian Draghici as musician primarily and not just as MEP to inspire Roma youth in Romania. Valeriu thanked Damian for the life making changes he achieved in the life of children through his contribution.
Peter Niedermuller, Hungarian MEP from the Socialists and Democrats Group emphasized that we need to tackle antigypgyism in the national and international authorities as well as antigypgyism is present everywhere.
Andrej Ivanov, statistics expert working as PhD Head of Sector on Rom and Migrant Integration at the Fundamental Rights Agency presented the EU-MIDIS report from FRA. As a reflection to the report he mentioned that there are several tools and resources already available for Roma however the information hardly reaches them and they rarely end up accessing opportunities.
Irina Spataru and Laszlo Jakab represented the Roma youth at the event and they both encountered of a rather harsh reality from Roma youth all over Europe.
