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Roma flag & anthem • In 1971 the International Gypsy Committee organized the First World Romani Congress at London, England. It was funded in part by the World Council of Churches and the Indian Government; representatives from India and some 20 other countries were in attendance. • At the congress, the green and blue flag from the 1933 conference, now embellished with the red, sixteen-spoked chakra, was reaffirmed as the national emblem of the Romani people, and the anthem, Dzelem dzelem, which has since been sung at all congresses, was adopted. • The Roma flag is dark blue on top (representing the heavens) and green below (representing the earth) with the red sixteen-spoked chakra in the center (in recognition of the Indian origin of the Roma). It represents movement and the burst of fire from which all creation emerged at the beginning of time.
Roma populations in Europe • Roma are one of the largest and fastest-growing ethnic minority groups in Europe. They are also the most deprived. • Roma populations have been identified in almost everyEuropean country.Almost 80% of the total European Roma population (ten million) live in Council of Europe member states. • According to the UN they pose Europe's most serious human rights problem.
Council of Europe on Roma • In 1993, the Council of Europe delivered in its resolution 1203 a blistering condemnation of Europe's treatment of the Roma populations saying they were subject to racism, discrimination & violence, and declaring them to be “a true European minority” • Although they have been in Europe since the 14th century, very often they are not recognised by the majority society as a fully-fledged European people. • They have suffered throughouttheir history in Europe from rejection and persecution, culminating in the Nazis’attempt to exterminate them. In thatgenocide between 25-50%of all European Roma were killed.
Council of Europe on Roma(continued) • As a result ofcenturiesof rejection many Roma and Traveller communities today live in very difficult conditions, often on the fringeof society in the countries where they live, and their participation in public life is very limited. • It is also very difficult for them toensure that their contribution to European culture is fully acknowledged.
Amnesty International on Roma(from the Dec 07 Greeting for Romani Rights) • The persistent discrimination faced by the Roma community perpetuates their economic and social marginalization: • They suffer massivediscrimination in access to housing, employment and education. • In some countries, they are preventedfrom obtainingcitizenship and personal documents required for social insurance, health care and other benefits. • They are often victims of police ill-treatment, while their complaintsare seldom investigated.
Amnesty International on Roma(continued) • They suffer conspicuous disadvantages in relation to the criminal justice system. Roma are often the main victimsof racial violence and discrimination, but are also grossly over-represented amongst the region's prison population. • Many Romani children are unjustifiably placed in "special" schools, where scaled-down lessons limit the opportunities to fulfil their potential. • Romani children & women are among the communities most vulnerable to traffickers.
Diversity within the Roma diaspora Dr Martin Kovats, Research Fellow at the Centre for Russian & East European Studies, University of Birmingham (UK) points out: • Treating the Roma diaspora as a specific political entity may obscure the considerable diversity of Roma communities and their circumstances. • There are profound historical, social, economic, linguistic and culturaldifferences amongst Roma in the different halves of the continent. • There is also considerable diversity within each of these regions, between the Roma populations of neighbouring states and even between Roma communities within individual countries.
Diversity within the Roma diaspora(continued) • There is no common tongue within the diaspora as there are between 50-100 dialects • Roma lifestyles vary enormously, from large urban communities through to small itinerant groups. • Roma can be found at all pointsalong the spectrum ofinteraction with mainstream society, from close integration to extreme isolation. • There is no commontrans-European Romaculture.
Living conditions of European Roma • The living conditions of many Roma are constrained by isolated, poor quality and/or segregated housing,. • Problems were exacerbated in the 1990s for many East European Roma by the declining security of tenure. • Along with many other poor people, many Roma have found it hard to maintain properties or pay rent, mortgages or utility bills. • This has led to evictions, increasing homelessness, internal displacement and increasing tensions with local authorities, which have been a significant contributory factor in Roma seeking asylum abroad. • The quality of and access to education is inadequate and perpetuates further marginalization.
Unemployment • The introduction of a market economy has severely constrained the ability of many East European Roma people to cope with change by depriving them of income and employment. • Roma unemployment, which is long-term and structural, ranges from 45% to 70% with some communities experiencing 100% unemployment.
