Brussels, 27/02/2012 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission has asked member states to submit a national strategy on Roma inclusion (something which 15 did at the end of 2011). Now, in a report published on Monday 27 February, Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner Thomas Hammarberg has slammed the many areas in which the Roma still encounter discrimination and he lists access to healthcare, jobs, housing, and highlights the generalised hatred and police brutality the Roma face.
In many European countries, “Roma and travellers are still denied basic human rights and suffer blatant racism”, says Hammarberg in his report, the first comprehensive overview of the human rights situation of Roma and travellers in all 47 member states of the Council of Europe. He makes a series of recommendations for politicians.
In recent years, the situation of the Roma and travellers in the EU has been the subject of close media attention after the dispute in August 2010 between France and the European Commission - this latter concerned at the expulsions by the French authorities of Roma and infringement of the directives of freedom of movement. Shortly before that, Italy had attracted attention for its repressive, anti-Roma policy conducted openly in Rome, for example. In Italy, citizens' militias sprang up to pursue Romanian/Roma law-breakers. In recent months, Hungarian militias with links to the nationalist party Jobbik have been making the headlines, carrying out retribution and chasing out Roma. These militias are responsible for at lest nine murders between 2009 and 2010, Hammerberg says.
This destructive, damaging climate has not really changed, he regrets, despite European leaders having become a bit more aware of the problems being faced by the Roma and making greater commitments these last few months than before. He cited, in particular, the efforts being made by Spain to integrate Roma in the jobs market. The rhetoric of some public leaders, however, has done serious damage, Hammarberg goes on, with Roma and travellers singled out for “hate speech”. “In some cases, these words have been understood as encouraging violent action”, he states.
This is not just the case in extreme right-wing groups. In his report, the commissioner speaks of the police violence to which Roma are regularly subjected, notably in France, Austria, Italy and Greece where physical and psychological violence has been reported, Hammarberg says. He is doubtful that, in the case of France, the censure by the Commission has been fully taken on board as the expulsions are continuing and citizens' freedom of movement is still being infringed, he says.
To this anti-Gypsyism must be added the very practical difficulties which still prevent Roma from integrating and from accessing basic services, such as health, education and housing, with “the problem of statelessness” and lack of personal documentation for thousands of Roma in Europe one of the issues which “must be urgently addressed with determination” by political leaders, the commissioner went on to say. He proposes a number of steps that could be taken, such as providing targeted training to the police “to prevent misconduct” and, more generally, stronger action against any anti-Roma rhetoric. Hammarberg would also like to see Roma children having full access to education and an end to the practice in certain countries of placing these children in institutions. Member states should also create “truth commissions”, he said, “to establish the historical facts concerning the atrocities committed against the Roma people”. (SP/transl.rt)