International Roma Day 2010
April 9th, 2010 by Jason Bergen Posted in Attitudes, Migrants
Yesterday was International Roma Day and the Second European Roma Summit went ahead in Spain. What has changed since I covered Roma Day one year ago?
Unfortunately, for Europe’s most deprived and vulnerable group: not a lot. More needs to be done on Roma exclusion in Europe and ‘Business as Usual’ will not be enough as pointed out by Bernard Rorke of the Open Society Institute. But hopefully this Summit will have helped. Perhaps, half way through the Decade on Roma Inclusion, ‘green shoots’ are appearing.
In the UK European Roma continue to migrate and settle. In some areas they are being proactively met with positive engagement. Oxfam’s partnership work in Glasgow was highlighted in the past year in Scotland and also in Europe as a ‘positive initiative’. Oxfam will continue in partnership to support the Roma Community in Glasgow and share experience to help in other areas.
Yet there is a long way to go. Media and public attitudes to new migrants are more susceptible to politicisation in an election. This week the government announced the ‘Deportation’ of destitute migrants who have lost their jobs. It’s sad when such language is used against vulnerable people who have lost their jobs but are here legally to work. It would probably be more responsible to deploy terms such as ‘assisted return’. So far the effects of recession have not usually been ascribed to migrants as in the past (maybe thanks to there being bankers and MPs to blame!).
It is important to remember what the Roma are facing in terms of poverty and institutional racism in Central Europe where in the past year Hungary elected a number of MEPs on an anti-Roma Agenda. The Czech Government has finally apologised for forced sterilisations of thousands of Romany women during the last decade. Clearly the situation for Roma in some Western European countries such as Italy is also deeply concerning.
The Roma will continue to face real risks in countries like the UK if we do not seek to engage and understand communities. I urge you to share this video, produced by Amnesty International, which highlights the issues that the Roma continue to face in Europe.
Last night in Glasgow the Slovak Roma celebrated Roma Day and the life of one of their most famous musicians: the Roma equivalent of Michael Jackson, Milan Tankos, who died earlier this year. As I said last year we hope that International Roma Day 2011 will give us more to celebrate.
