'We Don't Have a Roma Problem, We Have a Racism Problem'
by Mike STANNETT
On October 1st, The European Affairs Officer attended a workshop organised by the European Commission. The purpose of the workshop was to facilitate a round-table discussion in order to identify issues regarding Roma that warrant attention and action after the 2020 Framework comes to an end. Civil society representatives, Roma Contact Persons, Government Representatives, and MEPs were all present for this event to discuss future policies for Roma.
The most prominent challenge that has been mentioned by many of the Salvation Army grassroots services and activities with Roma is institutionalised antigypsyism which perpetuates the demonstration of these attitudes in society. Because of these racist attitudes, social justice is being suppressed and human rights are being denied to Roma people. Ultimately, it was discussions involving this particular issue that led many participants at the workshop to come to a consensus that we do not have a Roma problem, but rather a racism problem in Europe.
The European Affairs Officer also presented his thoughts, which involved bringing attention to the fact that at a grassroots level little improvement has been seen in regard to conditions for Roma populations. Considering the excellent tools at Europe’s disposal for helping Roma- The European Charter of Fundamental Rights, the SDGs, the European Pillar of Social Rights, to name a few- this can only be due to the racism which permeates society and societal institutions.
Potential strategies and options were presented by participants in order to address this issue, which included:
- Relying on existing Charters of rights and directives instead of coming up with a new framework
- Continuing to work with the EU framework that currently exists
- Diverge from the current approach and focus more on fighting antigypsyism
- Diverge from the current approach and focus on social inclusion
- Improve upon the work that is currently being done, which would include revising the current framework and building upon the lessons that have been learned thus far
- Strive to do better in the form of broadening approaches to equality and inclusion
Another strategy, presented by ERGO Network, was composed of a combination of options 3, 5, and 6. This option attracted the majority of support at the workshop.
Other issues were also discussed at the workshop, which included the most effective ways to measure progress in terms of Roma equality and inclusion post-2020, how to best focus on fighting antigypsyism in order to promote Roma participation, and how to best highlight the diversity within Roma populations.
For Consideration of the TSA:
- Be proactive in introducing the work of the TSA with Roma to the National Roma Contact Point in each country.
- Are Roma communities more at risk of climate change related weather patterns? If so, what can be done to address this risk?
- Analyse Roma participation at all levels, including social, lobbying, and church activities. What more can be done to increase participation?
- Recognise Roma diversity. Do the services provided by TSA effectively take diversity into account? In particular, are country specific issues, gender issues, and/or youth issues taken into account?
- In what ways does TSA currently engage in the antigypsyism debate at national or local levels? What more can be done to increase engagement and awareness-raising in this area?