Roma/Gypsies/Travellers in Europe: Proposals and Recommendations
1. Research and experience show that there are some key social and economic factors which contribute to racism, such as: dissatisfaction with one's life circumstances, fear of unemployment, feelings of insecurity about the future, and a low confidence in the way public authorities and political establishments function. Therefore, if European institutions, national and local governments are to be effective in tackling the root causes of racism, which they must if they are to defend human rights and fundamental freedoms, then it is imperative that they address these socio-economic factors.
2. In the reform of the regulations governing EU Structural Funds there is need for mainstreaming of equality and exclusion across all operation programmes. Within this there is need for a specific targeting of minority groups including Roma/Gypsy/Travellers.
3. Special EU initiatives need to ensure that Roma/Gypsy/Traveller projects are included in positive action measures, e.g. Fifth Action Framework for Equality between Women and Men; Targeted Social Research, etc.
4. Ongoing funding with specific budget lines to promote interculturalism and to eliminate racism need to address the situation of Roma/Gypsies/Travellers and such funding should be accessible to small organisations.
5. In the context of education, programmes should be initiated to promote minority languages. With the priority of improving the linguistic skills of children who are able to speak the minority language (e.g. Romani) and not only to teach such languages minimally to children from families for whom this is a totally foreign tongue.
6. Efforts should be made by education authorities to enable Roma/Gypsies/Travellers to benefit from information technology especially for the purpose of distance learning. This should include web sites, publications, human rights documentation and various other reports and updates on relevant developments through Europe.
7. Building on the achievements and momentum of the European Year Against Racism there is a need to ensure that Roma/Gypsies/Travellers are explicitly included in any follow-up initiatives such as: action plans, round-table discussion and consultations.
8. In recognition of the fact that Roma/Gypsies/Travellers have been part of the European heritage and culture for centuries, the European Commission should present a proposal for a Council Decision to designate a specific year as the European Year of the Roma/Gypsies/Travellers. This could be done in co-operation with the Council of Europe and could be strengthened further by a UNICEF focus on Roma/Gypsy/Traveller children.
9. The European Commission should establish a clear mechanism for interdepartmental co-operation so as to develop an integrated strategy for tackling issues affecting Roma/Gypsies/Travellers.
10. European anti-racist initiatives need to address the situation of third-country nationals (some of whom are Roma) with regard to resident's rights, voting rights, free movement (especially when related to work: music, conferences, etc.), and aid to local developmental projects.
11. The newly-established European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia, in co-operation with the Council of Europe, needs to undertake a special initiative to address the specific forms of racism experienced by Roma/Gypsy/Travellers. The Centre needs to be able to provide reliable and comparable data at European level on the causes of this racism and how it impacts on Roma/Gypsies/Travellers in relation to: freedom of movement, employment and economic activity, media portrayal, education, training, social inclusion, civic engagement, and cultural identity.
12. Given the relatively large Roma population in Central and Eastern European countries there is need for co-operation and co-ordination between EU institutions, the Council of Europe and the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE) to counter racism targeted against Roma/Gypsies/Travellers and to promote better communication and understanding, bearing in mind that co-ordination should not lead to monopoly by a single institution.
13. In the process of enlargement of the European Union, the European Commission should work in co-operation with the Council of Europe to improve the human rights situation of Roma/Gypsies/Travellers in the applicant states.
14. International legal instruments, such as conventions, treaties and directives are important because they make explicit values, norms and standards and specify human rights as defined by the wider society. These instruments place some pressure on governments to introduce domestic legislation to prohibit discrimination and legislation. Such legislation is essential for the protection of minorities such as Roma/Gypsies/Travellers. But the value of legislation is greatly reduced in the absence of effective implementation, as well as ongoing monitoring, independent agencies to take cases to court, clear and accessible means for dealing with grievances, tribunals and positive action programmes.
15. In accordance with the UN Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (1951), the term 'refugee' applies to any person who is outside his/her country "owing to well-founded fear of being persecuted for reasons of race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group or political opinion. . ."This should be borne in mind in the processing of asylum applications and racial crimes should be deterritorialised in a way similar to the deterritorialisation of crimes related to drugs and terrorism. In addition, the procedures and regulations governing asylum applicants should be made transparent and explicit. It should also be possible to have an appeals system within the judicial system.
16. There is a need to counter the racist activities and policies of extreme right-wing political parties with a racist agenda and also neo-Nazi groups which engage in racial harassment. Therefore political parties which proclaim their respect for the basic principles of democratic society should adopt a code of good practice and non-discrimination.
17. Roma/Gypsies/Travellers have survived centuries of forced assimilation and persecutions, which has contributed to their mistrust of mainstream society and a sense of alienation. Consequently they are perceived by many people as adopting a suspicious and defensive stance towards society in general. Against this background and in the context of ongoing social ostracism, Roma/Gypsy Traveller ethnic identities have a tendency to become totalizing thereby rendering almost irrelevant their other identities and loyalties within civil society. In order to deal with this alienation and mistrust there is a need for initiatives at European and national levels which create the conditions for Roma/Gypsies/Travellers to develop, within a multi-cultural context, other equally significant forms of identity. Only then will they see themselves as full citizens with a sense of belonging, sharing in society's core values, having a say in government, engaging in cultural practices, and advancing through education, training and employment.
18. Social inclusion and social integration should not be equated with the homogenisation of minority ethnic groups. Gypsy/Traveller/Roma cultural identities much be recognised and respected while at the same time acknowledging that culture is not a static phenomenon but one that evolves and develops in such a way that new ethnic markers are created. Consequently, the seeming paradox of constructively resourcing ethnic identity, can also contribute to the development of a more inclusive and multi-cultural society, while making ethnicity one rather than the only or major form of identity.
19. When restrictions and impediments to the economic development of Roma/Gypsies/Travellers are a consequence of ethnic identity then these should be regarded as a form of racial discrimination. Such cases should be the subject of legal investigation and sanctions.
20. In order to avoid exploitation or tokenism the principle of equal treatment of persons as applied to Roma/Gypsies/Travellers involves regarding individuals according to their competencies, professional abilities, moral qualities, and experience when engaged in an activity or programme, and not uniquely on their ethnic belonging. However, this should not preclude the use of positive action measures designed to enable groups or individuals to overcome inequality and disadvantage.
21. The principle of equal pay for equal work should apply to the employment of Roma/Gypsies/Travellers so that the so-called ethnic identification is not abused by, for example, replacing generally accepted rates of remuneration with unpaid voluntary work.
22. Roma/Gypsy Traveller organisations or individuals should be provided with adequate technical and financial support to ensure that funded projects and initiated activities are brought to completion within a reasonable time-frame and not demobilised by excessive delays and bureaucracy.
23. Roma/Gypsy/Traveller organisations and support groups need to be fully informed of and engaged in recent developments at EU level: the establishment of the European Monitoring Centre for Racism and Xenophobia, and the proposed platform of NGO's to combat racism, and in particular of the potential created by the adoption of the Amsterdam Treaty which includes a non-discrimination clause.
24. Roma/Gypsy/Traveller organisations and support groups need to engage with the process of roundtable discussions at national and European levels in order to ensure that the Proposed Platform of Anti-Racist NGO's is developed in a way which is relevant for them.
25. Given the historical and social causes of diverse Roma/Gypsy/Traveller groups, there is need for greater solidarity and co-operation. A prerequisite for this is a rejection of the search for the 'true' Gypsy and an acceptance of respect for the various groups of diverse nomadic origin throughout Europe. Strategic alliances need to be developed and resourced in order to promote such solidarity.
26. All cultures, including those of Roma/Gypsies/Travellers, contain elements that can be dehumanising and oppressive. There is a challenge therefore to resolve tensions and conflicts between communal rights and individual rights, between cultural autonomy and the rights of specific groups (such as women, children, and disabled persons) as defined in international human rights instruments. In order to approach such potentially controversial issues in a constructive and critical way there is a need for dialogue based on equality and mutual respect. Innovative initiatives are required to enable this to happen including capacity-building measures and the organisation of fora, cross-cultural exchanges and networks.
27. Roma/Gypsy/Traveller organisations and support groups need to be resourced and facilitated to engage constructively in the organisation, education, mobilisation, representation and advocacy of their members in order to overcome alienation, social ostracism, poverty and exclusion. In this way, active participation and partnerships can be developed which will promote social cohesion and interculturalism.
28. In solidarity with other anti-racist and anti-exclusion organisations, Roma/Gypsy/Traveller support groups need to develop strategic alliances with such organisations in order to eliminate all forms of discrimination, racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and xenophobia.
29. Anti-racism and human rights organisations and networks at national and international levels need to be alerted and sensitised to the specific needs and concerns of Roma/Gypsies/Travellers in order to facilitate their appropriate inclusion in their activities and programmes.
30. Employers, trade-unions, government agencies, regional and local authorities, education institutions, academics, religious bodies, the media, professional organisations, non-government and grass-roots organisations, and the victims of racism themselves need to be mobilised into partnerships in the fight against racism and xenophobia, and in the valuing of diversity and multi-ethnicity.
31. Given the responsibility of the police for the maintenance of law and order it is essential that they carry out their duties in accordance with the principles of professional ethics and standards. This is imperative if the mutual mistrust between police and Roma, Gypsies, Travellers is to be overcome. It is also necessary that the role of the police as guardians of anti-discrimination is highlighted, that there are transparent policing procedures, that pre- and in-service training addresses the challenges of ethnic diversity by including anti-racist and intercultural dimensions and that mechanisms are introduced to involve Rom, Gypsy, Traveller organisations in partnership arrangements.
32. The media can play a crucial role in either promoting or challenging ethnic prejudices and stereotypes. Research has shown that minority ethnic groups have been, and continue to be, portrayed negatively (as a problem, dirty, dangerous, or a threat) or stereotypically (as scroungers, criminals, deviants, etc.) by the media, thereby contributing to the reproduction of racism. There is a need, therefore, for professionals in the media to introduce and implement anti-racist guidelines and ethical standards so as to provide fair coverage of Rom/Gypsy/Traveller events and issues.