April 8 has been designated as World Roma Day and is a day to celebrate their history, language and culture, as well as a reminder of the discrimination and social exclusion they continue to face.
This day was chosen to commemorate the first international meeting of Roma representatives held in London in April 1971, and marked the beginning of an effort to mobilise the Roma community to recognise their identity and ensure equal enjoyment of their rights.
Unfortunately, to this day, collective stigmatisation and discrimination against Roma continues, with members of the community facing discrimination in all areas of their lives.
With a population of around 10-12 million people, the Roma community is Europe's largest transnational minority and, in 2006, was identified by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as the most vulnerable group in Europe in terms of poverty level (or risk of poverty), due to lack of education and employment opportunities, inadequate (physical) safety, poor housing and difficulties in accessing health services.
In recent years, international organisations and institutions concerned with the respect of human rights have focused on the protection of Roma rights and the promotion of measures that will lead to their marginalisation and the improvement of their quality and living conditions.
A typical example is the European Commission's 2010 Communication on the social and economic integration of the Roma in Europe, in which it acknowledged the increased vulnerability of this group of the European Union population, noting that the discrimination, social exclusion and isolation faced by the Roma are interrelated and mutually reinforcing.
Furthermore, in 2020, and wanting to achieve further progress on Roma inclusion, the European Commission issued a new Communication, in relation to the new EU Strategic Framework for Roma Equality, Inclusion and Participation (2020-2030), with the key objective of substantially improving the situation by 2030 and closing the gap between Roma and the general population, promoting effective equality, socio-economic inclusion and meaningful participation of Roma.
In Cyprus, the number of our Roma compatriots (Gurbetties) is estimated at approximately 1250 persons, of which 650-700 are estimated to reside in the areas under the control of the Republic of Cyprus.
Within the framework of my responsibilities as National Human Rights Authority, in December 2020 I submitted a Submission in relation to the living conditions of the Roma community in Cyprus.
The Report recorded the actual daily life of the Roma community in Cyprus, the challenges they have to face, the obstacles they have to overcome and the needs they have to meet in order to approach an acceptable level of living conditions.
Our main finding was that the Cypriot Roma, although legally, as citizens of the Republic, have the same rights and opportunities available to all other Cypriot citizens, in practice, and despite any measures taken by the State, they still remain particularly vulnerable and socially and economically marginalized. Particular problems have been identified in the employment opportunities of Roma, their access to appropriate health and welfare services, as well as their housing conditions in isolated and/or unsuitable shelters/houses.
In conclusion, we submitted a series of Recommendations to all relevant services for the adoption of specific measures that will improve the existing situation and ensure the protection of the fundamental rights of the Roma community in Cyprus.
Today's anniversary is an opportunity for all of us to turn our thoughts to our Roma fellow human beings, to respect their diversity and to intensify our efforts to combat the discrimination and social exclusion that they continue to face both as a society and as a State because, as the Mexican-American journalist aptly put it, Jorge Ramos, "great nations are defined by the way they treat the weakest of their inhabitants", and undoubtedly a great nation is not defined by the size of its population, but by the amount of anthropocentrism it demonstrates in all aspects of its culture.
(NΓ/IK)
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