The State of the Roma

The Roma are the largest minority group in rope, with a population of more than ten million scattered across the continent. Unfortunately, they are also one of the most hated groups throughout that part of the world. The stereotype that the Roma, or Gypsies, do not respect the law, have many children, and take up odd careers has been set firmly in the minds of the minds of many, allowing for governments to strip them of their rights. 

Their culture is one filled with music, dancing, and many other traditions. It is a system that guides them through their lives and allows them to identify themselves as Roma during their harsh lives. They do not have one religion, but instead usually take up the religion of the area in which they have made their home (Rroma Traditions). Each of the different groups among the Roma have their own sets of rules in order to decide what is clean and what is not, especially for women (Rroma Traditions). If something, or someone, is considered to be unclean, there are a number of rules in which they must abide by in order to make sure that the uncleanliness does not spread (Rroma Traditions). All of these rules and traditions are not written down, as their own language is not a written one, so they are passed on through the family, which is considered the most important social structure to the Roma people.  Some of the Roma see themselves as a nation, and have equipped themselves with a flag and even a national anthem. However, they do not have any land to call their own, nor do they want it. They are a nomadic people, and many have settled down in certain nations, wanting to be a full-fledged citizen of those nations while still retaining their identity as Roma.

The Roma arrived in Europe around the thirteenth century after a slow migration from India. Ever since they arrived to become a part of the European continent, they have been discriminated against and used as scapegoats. When the Nazis came to power and began the process of extermination, the Roma were on the list of those targeted. The number of Roma murdered during this time is unknown, but estimates have gone as high as two-and-a-half million (Rroma History). After World War Two, life did not get any better for this minority. Today, the Roma continue to face discrimination, by being placed in “special” schools, evictions and harsh living conditions, as well as various attacks in multiple countries.

In Hungary, members of the Jobbik party are using violence between citizens and the Roma in order to both continue the cycle of violence and also to use them as scapegoats for their hard hit economy (Westervelt). A Hungarian farmer stated that the “Gypsies don’t work, but have eight or nine children, and then they get all of this money from the state to live on,” (Westervelt). This view is seen throughout Europe.

Discriminating governments prevent the Roma from receiving full citizenship in the countries in which they reside. Members of the minority group are often denied their personal documents which are needed in order for them to receive social insurance, health care and other benefits. When Czechoslovakia broke apart, the two new nations both claimed that the Roma were citizens of the other nations, so the Roma ended up being stripped of their citizenship by both nations (rroma). Many are also denied employment, and those who are employed usually work as garbage collectors or factory workers (Multi-Ethnic States…). Depending on the prosperity in a given area, the unemployment rate of the Roma ranges between sixty to ninety percent (Multi-Ethnic States…). The acts of the governments fuel the hatred for the Roma, and it also, once again adds to the stereotype, creating a vicious cycle of hate and resentment. In the Czech Republic, there are 300,000 Roma citizens, who account for less than three percent of the population, yet they account for one-third of the nation’s unemployed (Europe’s Roma Community…). The Roma have a difficult time finding a job with which they would be able to support their families because they have been excluded from a proper education by being placed into Roma-only schools or school which are meant to be used for children with disabilities (Europe’s Roma Community…).

 The Roma are a proud people who have lived in temporary homes, moving from place to place for centuries. Those who do wish to settle down and live in an area permanently are often met with prejudice and many face evictions, leaving them to once again assume their role as a “nomad”. In 2004, one-hundred Roma were evicted from their apartment building in Romania. Twelve of those families were provided with a “temporary” home on an eight-hundred square meter field, which lies next to a waste water filtering station, the landscape set with signs warning of the toxic dangers of the land (Europe’s Roma Community…). The government provided the families with eight metal barracks and the remaining shelters the Roma built themselves out of scraps and they were given electricity and water through the filtering station; however, the temperature can drop to negative 26 Degrees Celsius, or around negative 15 Degrees Fahrenheit and the barracks do not offer the Roma with moderate protection to the weather (Europe’s Roma Community…). The other shelters are even worse. Their health is also greatly affected by their temporary settlement, as the Roma are constantly exposed to the unhealthy water of the filtering station nearby and its toxic chemicals (Europe’s Roma Community…).

The state of the Roma is truly terrifying. From civil rights to education to violence, the Roma suffer. Despite the fact that they have a rich culture of song, dance and language, the stereotype that has been assigned them has stuck like super glue in the minds of people around the world, giving government parties, such as the Jobbik in Hungary, reason to blame them for the hardships of the country. Not all is lost however. Last year, the French government decided to expel thousands of Roma back to Kosovo and Romania, where they experience the worst discrimination, but the European Union fined the French government and many criticized their actions. People have been bringing attention to the hardships of the Roma and have been making slow progress throughout the years.

The Roma have been a stateless people for quite some time. They began their migration from India nearly a thousand years ago and have since then been wanders. In the present day, they are not seen as equal citizens of the state, if they are seen as true citizens at all. The people have a very strong connection to their traditions as Roma, yet they also want to be citizens of the nations in which they reside. Will they ever be granted full rights? There have been steps taken and some nations are not as bad as others, but there is still a long way to go.

Works Cited

"Europe's Roma community still facing massive discrimination | Amnesty International."   Amnesty International | Working to Protect Human Rights. Web. 15 September 2011.          <http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/feature-stories/europes-roma-            community-still-facing-massive-discrimination-20090408>.

"Press kit: Issues - Multi-ethnic States and the Protection of Minority Rights - World         Conference Against Racism." Welcome to the United Nations: It's Your World.             Web.                15 September 2011. <http://www.un.org/WCAR/e-kit/minority.htm>.

"Rroma History | Rroma.org." Welcome | Rroma.org. Web. 14 Sept. 2011.          <http://www.rroma.org/rroma-history/>.

"Rroma Traditions | Rroma.org." Welcome | Rroma.org. Web. 14 Sept. 2011. <http://www.rroma.org/rroma-traditions/>.

Westervelt, Eric. "Wave Of Violence Strikes Eastern Europe's Gypsies : NPR." NPR :                               National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Web.                15 September 2011.