Brussels, 19/09/2011 (Agence Europe) - To present new guidelines to counter discrimination against the Roma and to present Council of Europe (CoE) initiatives to promote the rights of the Roma (such as courses for cultural mediators and legal practitioners) were the main objectives of an information session organised on Monday 19 September in Brussels by the Council of Europe.
Above all, the guidelines call for Roma children to be registered at birth, for them to receive the appropriate identification documents and for them to be admitted to school. It is equally important to ensure that like the rest of the population, the Roma have access to decent housing, hospitals and public services. One of the guidelines is aimed at encouraging the Roma to report racist crimes, including those committed by the police.
The Roma population in 47 CoE member countries now stands at around 10-12 million people, who continue to suffer from discrimination and widespread intolerance, explains the Council of Europe. In their opinion, the Roma experience extreme poverty and are excluded from what the rest of the population consider as normal life. The organisation also considers that the action so far employed in their connection has failed to resolve the situation.
The secretary general of the Council of Europe, Thorbjørn Jagland, has therefore proposed (given the discrimination suffered in 2010) a new approach to resolve problems relating to the integration of the Roma. (DD/stag/transl.fl)