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European Roma and Travellers
Forum c/o Council of F – 67 075 Tel.: + 33 3 90 21 53 50 Fax: +
33 3 90 21 44 34 e-mail:
ertf@ertf.org www.ertf.org |
ERTF Update
15/2007 04.07.07
Political Developments
European
Roma and Travellers Forum
“We
have now the possibility to take an influence on policy-making”
Rudko Kawczynski, 53, is the first elected president of the European
Roma and Travellers Forum. Coming from the civil rights movement he aims to use
the means of an NGO to gain influence over political processes and get Roma a
better life.
Update:
The European Roma and Travellers Forum has been established four years ago when
it was registered in the associations’ register of the city of
Rudko Kawczynski: First, it is not just four
years, because we worked 17 years towards the fulfilment of our dream, and it
is only thanks to the initiative of the Finnish President, Ms. Tarja Hallonen,
and to the support of the Finnish and French governments that the Forum could
be finally established.
The last four years were particularly
challenging, because we entered into negotiations with the Committee of
Ministers over the partnership agreement. And this meant that we had to reach a
consensus, a consensus with 46 [Council of Europe member] states as there were
at that time, and we managed. This is why it was also a time of great
satisfaction and of great responsibility.
What are the main problems in running an organisation
such as the Forum? Do you feel that you receive sufficient support both from
Roma and non-Roma?
RK: We have
the task to bring together a network of organisations in almost 47 countries,
an area much larger than the European Union. We have to deal with linguistic,
cultural, and religious differences. These differences reflect upon our daily
work among ourselves Roma, Sinti, Travellers and other groups, but also in our
communication with international organizations such as the Council of Europe.
Could
you perhaps give us examples?
RK: For
instance, we have faced some problems with the implementation of the
partnership agreement. As an NGO we have a particular status with the Council
of Europe which allows us to work within the Council of Europe’s
structures. But at the same time, we have also to deal with these structures.
You can easily
imagine that the unification of these two organizations has not been easy. We
have on the one hand the Council of Europe with its conceptions and ways of
functioning. On the other hand, we as the Forum have the task to help our
people as much and as quickly as possible. This has been one of the greatest
challenges.
Another problem has been the cooperation
within the Executive Committee. Our Executive Committee comprises ten people,
people from different countries and backgrounds, and belonging to different
political groups: Some of our board members are members of political parties
which are part of government coalitions. But we have also people like me who
come from the civil rights movement and who do not accept any compromise when
it comes to human rights.
You have already mentioned the partnership
agreement you have signed with the Council of
RK: The partnership agreement gives us a
unique possibility to have a direct influence on the policies of the Council of
Europe and, via this, on the implementation of human rights in the Council of
Europe member states.
At the same time we have, and this is also
unique, a direct access to the Council of Europe member states via the
embassies. This allows us to raise issues on a bilateral level. But this is
something we need to explain to our people: We are not at the European Commission. There is no money to be
distributed here. This is a place where human rights are protected, and where
we need to be present as the voice of our people. This is the ambition of the
Forum, to be the voice of the Roma, the voice of those who have not been heard
so far.
What is at the moment your main political
concern?
RK: My biggest
concern is the rising anti-Gypysism in
One of the most terrible experiences we have
been through over the last years is the persecution of Roma in Kosovo. The
international community has failed in the Yugoslav conflict. It did not just
forget the Roma; it excluded them on purpose. The Roma were simply unwanted in
this whole process.
In Kosovo, 200,000 Roma have been chased
away. More than 1,000,000 people have left the former
When the Forum was set up there were
different ideas as to what the Forum should be. Some had in mind another form
of political representation. Do you think that you have been able to convince
your critics, or does it proof that they were right?
RK: I do not
want to hope that we managed to convince our critics since we need criticisms.
In fact I believe that we are our fiercest critics. It was necessary to find a
compromise and we did. Finding a compromise does not mean to get the best
possible deal, but it also does not mean getting the worst deal.
I am a bit
worried about the fact that Roma political parties bring in their national
interests and party politics into the Forum. We have been aware about this
problem since the beginning, but we nevertheless insisted in bringing together
all political and other organisations into the Forum where all these
differences as well as others such as the demands of women and use but also
religious differences should be discussed, and where we unite our efforts in
order to fight against racism and anti-Gypsyism.
What has
the Forum achieved so far? Did it make any difference to the life of Roma in
RK: I have said so before, and also as the
president of the European Roma and Travellers Forum, that we should be very
careful and not accept the role of a scapegoat as if we were in a position to
change much.
It is indeed the states who decide about the
policy in their country, about the policy in the field of education, social
polices and about minority policies. International organisations such as the
Council of Europe can set standards, but it rests upon the states to put
implement them.
We as the Forum do not have any power to
implement anything, but we have now the possibility which we did not have
before to be heard, to take an influence on policy-making by using the means
which are available to an NGO in order to make sure
that the rights of Roma are respected.
For sure things will not change immediately, but without the Forum they will
never change.
Some say
that the Forum is not really visible in their country. Many Roma do not even
know the name of their national representatives. How can you explain this fact?
RK: This is
indeed a big issue which I have difficulties to understand. But one of the
reasons is for sure that we neither have the financial means nor the necessary
staff members to prepare and launch quick and efficient public campaigns. But
we are into ways to improve this.
We are still very much at the beginning of a
long process. We are currently preparing to set up national Roma umbrella
organisations which can truly represent the interests of Roma in their country.
And we are developing our network. This is why we have applied for [European]
Commission’s funding.
This is where
we stand now, in the process of establishing a truly efficient and
representative Romani interest representation, and this will be one of our
major tasks for the coming years. This will be a painful process especially for
those who have had a comfortable life as self-acclaimed experts or Romani
leaders
In this context, I should also say that I am
slightly worried about the tendency of some foundations to fight Roma
organisations by establishing their own Roma representation. To make things
worse, there are more and more foundations and international organisations
which behave in the same way as NGOs and start to compete over funding.
Where do
you see the future of the Forum? Is this doomed to remain an organisation among
others as it is seen by many, in particular, non-Roma or do you have something
else in mind? What will be your next steps in order to achieve your goals?
RK: The Forum
is not just an organisation among others. It is an organisation which is made
of other organisations. For the first time since 1937, Roma have managed to set
up an independent international structure. [In 1937, several dozens of Roma
organisations gathered in
I would just
like to mention one example, the development of a “European Roma Rights
Charter“ as a kind of party programme, but also as a political mandate
for the Forum to discuss with the Council of Europe how these our demands can
be implemented into national legislation. This is a task which needs to be seen
in a medium- and long-term perspective, but which is nevertheless important. In
the long run, we need to establish common standards for our people everywhere.
If you were able to fulfil a wish what would
it be?
RK: If I would have a wish it would be very
small and modest. I would wish that we could involve more qualified people in
our work.
If the same had to be started all over again
would you still be available for the job?
RK: How can you ask such a thing! If I would
have to start it all over again, this would mean that we did not achieve
anything! But is of course another question whether this job is not too
demanding and leads to exhaustion, because it is indeed a very difficult job.
It is not a job in a proper sense. I am
fighting for change, for a change in the life of my children, grand-children and
great-grand children, also for myself and my family and friends, for the whole
group and people . This is why I
don’t have the choice. The question is not whether I do the job or not. I
am simply part of the process.
Forum
raises refugee returns with UN High Commissioner
Strasbourg,
Forum's Chief Executive Officer raised the Forum's concerns as regards to the
situation of Roma refugees from the former
issue of forced repatriation of Kosovo Roma to Kosovo and to
She added that the Forum shares the concern expressed by Amnesty International
in its recent report on minority returns to Kosovo according to which the fact
that the UNHCR did not update its “Position on the continued need of
individuals from Kosovo” might encourage the
governments from host countries to prepare refugee returns (see http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home/opendoc.pdf?tbl=SUBSITES&id=4492bdaa2).
Mr. Guterres admitted that the UNHCR is under high pressure by the governments
of host countries, in particular from
The UN High Commissioner further said that its is the position of the UNHCR
that there should be no forced returns of refugees to Kosovo, and that his
organisation attempts to convey the message to the governments of host
countries that they could easily integrate the refugees. He also said that the
UNHCR has other cases of concern, and that Roma are not even the worst case. He
particularly mentioned pressures by Western governments for refugees to return
to
Forum's Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Karin Waringo, said that the Forum is well
aware of the UNHCR's efforts, but that her organisation would like to see the UNHCR being more
outspoken in public. She asked the UN High Commissioner to publicly convey the
message that the situation in Kosovo will not, in a foreseeable future, improve
in such a way to allow for the return of refugees in larger groups as the only
way to guarantee a minimum level of safety to the returnees. She further asked
Mr. Guterres to explain to the Western audience that the countries of the
region do not have sufficient capacities to integrate the refugees.
Ms. Waringo concluded by saying that the
Forum wanted all these issues to be discussed in the context of the status
negotiations, but that unfortunately no Roma representative was admitted to
these talks. She submitted the Forum's position paper on Kosovo where the issue
of
refugee returns is specifically addressed and asked the High Commissioner's
support the Forum in its ambition to be associated to any further talks about
the future of Kosovo.
Mr. Guterres replied by saying that he considered it indeed a hypocrisy not
admitting people to the discussions while at the same time expecting them to
return to Kosovo.
ERTF
International
Organisations
Council of
Committee of
Ministers
Committee of Ministers recommends measures to
protect the rights of Travellers in
With regards to the situation of Travellers
in
“There
is a need to enhance the involvement of Travellers in the work of the
structures dealing with Traveller issues. The recent establishment of a
National Traveller Monitoring and Advisory Committee provides an opportunity to
address this concern.
Travellers
continue to be exposed to discrimination in different contexts, and negative
societal attitudes towards them and certain new minority groups persist. These
problems are at times fuelled by some media reports promoting negative
stereotypes.
The
principle of voluntary self-identification of persons belonging to minorities
has not always been fully taken into account by the authorities in such
contexts as data collection and in discussions on whether the Travellers
constitute an ethnic group.
..
The
implementation of Traveller accommodation plans has been inadequate in a number
of localities.
Improved
provision of halting sites merits particular attention, bearing in mind also
the consequences of criminalisation of trespassing.
The
Travellers’ average school attendance and achievement levels remain low
and in some cases negative societal attitudes towards Travellers are felt also
in schools. Such problems in the field of education contribute to the
significant unemployment amongst Travellers and need to be addressed through
the implementation of the Report and Recommendations for a Traveller education
strategy.”
In
addition to the measures proposed by the Council of Europe Advisory Committee
for the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the Protection of
National Minorities the Committee of Ministers recommends the following
measures in order to improve the implementation of the Framework Convention:
“-
ensure Traveller representatives’ effective participation in various
bodies dealing with Traveller issues, including through the new National
Traveller Monitoring and Advisory Committee, while facilitating Travellers’
involvement also in elected bodies;
-
pay increasing attention to the principle of self-identification in data
collection and other contexts;
-
monitor the impact of the recent changes to the complaint mechanisms for
non-discrimination cases so as to ensure that they do not harm the
accessibility or effectiveness of the remedies available and ensure that the
structures concerned are adequately resourced;
-
take decisive measures to ensure the implementation of Traveller accommodation
plans and the recommendations of the Report for a Traveller education strategy;
-
pursue ongoing efforts to accommodate growing diversity in Irish schools,
including in terms of demand for non-denomination or multi-denominational
schools;
-
take further steps aimed to facilitate self employment and other economic
activities of the
Travellers.“
In
relation with
“Persons belonging to certain
groups, such as the Roma or the Romani/Taters, continue to encounter
difficulties and discrimination in the labour market and in access to housing
and education. In particular, the problems experienced by Roma and Romani/Tater
children in the field of education remain a cause for concern and must be
treated as a matter of priority by the authorities.”
and
recommends, in addition to the measures proposed by the Council of Europe
Advisory Committee for the Implementation of the Framework Convention for the
Protection of National Minorities the Committee of Ministers, the following
measures in order to improve the implementation of the Framework Convention:
“Implement more resolute
measures to eliminate the difficulties and discrimination encountered by
the Roma and the Romani/Taters
in various fields, such as employment and housing and, in
particular, education; pay due
heed to the Roma request concerning the establishment of a Roma
community centre in
…
- Continue and reinforce
efforts to promote and support the learning of the Kven language and
examine the needs of persons
belonging to other minorities – notably the Roma and the
Romani/Taters – in this
field;”
The
Committee of Ministers Resolution on Ireland is available at: http://www.coe.int/t/e/human_rights/minorities/2._FRAMEWORK_CONVENTION_(MONITORING)/2._Monitoring_mechanism/6._Resolutions_of_the_Committee_of_Ministers/1._Country-specific_resolutions/2._Second_cycle/PDF_2nd_CM_Resolution_Ireland_eng.pdf
The Committee of Ministers
Resolution on
ERTF
Committee
of Ministers adopts recommendations on Minority Languages in Hungary and
Slovenia
Strasbourg – On the basis of the
second report of the committee of independent experts which monitors the
application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages the
Council of Europe Committee of Ministers has just adopted new a new
recommendation on the application of
the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages by Hungary
(Recommendation CM/RecChL(2007)4) and Slovenia (Recommendation
CM/RecChL(2007)5).
With regards to the Romani language which is
protected in both countries under the Charter, the Committee of Ministers
recommends the Hungarian
authorities to “take resolute measures in language planning for Romany
and Beás with a view to starting effective teaching of and in these
languages at all appropriate stages,” and calls on the
Slovenian authorities to “continue
efforts to implement the ‘Strategy for Education of Roma in the Republic
of Slovenia’ and harmonise the level of protection for all speakers of
the Romani language”.
The full text of the recommendation on
The full text of the recommendation on
ERTF
Parliamentary
Assembly
PACE calls for durable solution for the 500,000 displaced people in
South
“Twelve years after
the end of war in
The full text of
Recommendation 1802 is available at:
http://assembly.coe.int/Main.asp?link=/Documents/WorkingDocs/Doc07/EDOC11289.htm
Source: PACE Press releases
European Court
of Human Rights
Chamber Judgement Karagiannopoulos v.
The Court held unanimously that there had
been:
· a violation of Article 2 (right to
life) of the European Convention on Human Rights on account of the Greek
State’s failure to protect the applicant’s right to life;
· a violation of Article 2 of the
Convention on account of a breach by the Greek State of its duty to conduct an
effective investigation into the circumstances of the incident which had put
the applicant’s life at risk;
· no violation of Article 14
(prohibition of discrimination).
Under Article 41 (just satisfaction), the
Court awarded the applicant 100,000 euros (EUR) for pecuniary damage and EUR
20,000 for non-pecuniary damage. (The judgment is available only in French.)
1.
Principal facts
Ioannis Karagiannopoulos is a Greek national
of Roma origin, who lives in Serres (
The facts are in dispute between the
parties.
The Greek Government alleged that on
The applicant alleged that, on arrival at
the family home, the policemen fired into the air, caught him by the hair and
then handcuffed him. Instead of taking him to the police station, they took him
to a nightclub car-park and began beating him so that he would name other
places where drugs were hidden. The applicant told them that he did not know of
any such places. The policeman responsible for starting the beating then took
out his weapon and placed it against the applicant’s head, threatening to
kill him if he did not speak; he finally shot and wounded him in the head.
On the day of the incident the policeman
concerned was arrested and criminal proceedings were brought against him for
negligently causing injury; he was released the following day. On
In the context of the subsequent
investigation, a forensic medical examination carried out just after the
incident established that the injury had been caused by a shot fired at
point-blank range; the bullet had entered at the temple and exited from the
forehead. No attempt was made, however, to search for gunpowder traces on the
various protagonists’ hands. On
In the meantime the administrative
investigation conducted by the police following the incident concluded that the
policeman concerned had shown excessive professional zeal in the exercise of
his duties, and slight negligence in detaining the applicant and in respect of
the rules governing use of his weapon. In February 1999 the head of police
imposed the minimum fine on the policeman for slight negligence.
The applicant brought proceedings for
damages, which were dismissed by the administrative courts on the ground that
the policeman concerned had acted in legitimate self-defence.
Following the incident the applicant spent
about three months in hospital. He has since been hospitalised on two occasions
for bacterial meningitis which, according to a doctor, is a result of his
injury. He was declared unfit for work by the social security authorities, who
have classified him as 100 % permanently disabled.
Source: ECHR Press Release ECHR 436(2007)
The Court’s judgments are accessible
on its Internet site (http://www.echr.coe.int).
Commissioner for
Human Rights
Commissioner for Human Rights voices concern about the
status of Kosovo refugees in Bosnia
The Commissioner urges the
"Kosovo's future still holds a lot of uncertainties and the
security situation remains fragile," the Commissioner said. "I
strongly believe that for those refugees who cannot return, a lasting solution
should be found within
According to the Commissioner, this could mean either the granting of
asylum, a permanent residence permit or even citizenship, which some of the
refugees would be entitled to after years of living in
Thomas Hammarberg, who supports the similar view of the UN refugee
agency, says that there continues to be a need for the international protection
of the 3,000 strong Kosovar refugee community in
The Commissioner said he would closely follow the situation of these
refugees after the 30 June deadline.
Source: Office of the
Commissioner for Human Rights (Press Release)
European Union
European
Commission
EU urges 14 member states to fully implement Race
Equality Directive
The European Commission (EC) Wednesday urged
14 member states to fully implement the "Race Equality Directive" to
protect citizens from racial discrimination. In a statement, the EC, executive
body of the European Union, also demanded "correct" responses from
these nations within two months and action to close gaps in race equality rules
"If there is no satisfactory reply, the
Commission will refer the matter to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. It can also request that the
Court impose a fine on the country concerned," the statement said.
The 14 countries are Estonia, Britain, the Czech Republic, France, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Poland, Portugal, Slovenia, Slovakia, Spain and Sweden.
The Race Equality Directive was agreed upon
by EU members in 2000 with a deadline for implementation into national law by
2003. However, not all national legislation fully conforms to these
requirements, the EC said.
"The right to be treated equally is a
fundamental right, but every day across the EU people face discrimination in
jobs, schools, shops, housing and healthcare because of the color of their
skin," said Vladimir Spidla, EU Commissioner for Employment, Social
Affairs and Equal Opportunities.
He called on EU nations to make sure the
equality rules are properly implemented so that people in
Source: Xinhua
http://english.people.com.cn/200706/28/eng20070628_388237.html
European
Parliament
EPs urge adoption of a
legal framework to combat racism and xenophobia
The European
Parliament adopted a report on taking effective action racism and xenophobia in
all Member States. MEPs say that minimum harmonisation at European level is
needed to defend one of EU's most important common values. MEPs evaluate the
progress of negotiations conducted at Council on this framework decision and
expect to be formally re-consulted by Council in the coming months on the basis
of the political agreement reached by Ministers of Justice last 19 April.
The aim of the draft
decision as it stands now is to ensure that all Member States will impose
harmonised criminal sanctions -from one to three years of prison- to any public
incitement to violence and hatred against persons of a different race, colour,
religion, national or ethnic descendent, dissemination of writings with such
content, public approval, denial or gross trivialisation of genocide, crimes
against humanity and war crimes.
The draft legislation does
not forbid specific symbols per se --such as swastikas-- and does not mention
specific historic events, but it appeals to the definitions of war crimes or
genocide contained in the Statute of the International Criminal Court and the
Nuremberg Tribunal of 1945.
Parliament's report aims to
send a strong political message on the need to ratify this framework decision
as soon as possible and recommends Council to "recognise" in the
final text the fact that "some Member States have criminalised the denial
or flagrant trivialisation of genocide" like the holocaust.
Criminal sanctions should
be more severe in the case of public figures and representatives of the
authorities, as their status should constitute an aggravating circumstance,
MEPs stressed in the text. Other
recommendations by Parliament are focussed on fixing common definitions on
terms such as "racist and xenophobic offences" or "public order
offence".
The Chamber finally
requested EU governments to issue an evaluation report on this framework
decision at the latest 3 years after it enters into force.
The fact that this
legislation will be a framework decision implies that the general provisions
adopted by the EU will have to be transposed into different national laws
afterwards, allowing Member States the necessary degree of flexibility to
maintain their specific constitutional traditions regarding the right to
freedom of expression.
Combating racism and
xenophobia: progress in the negotiations on the framework decision
Text, as adopted by the EP
on 21 June, will shortly be available here
Source: European Parliament
(Press release)
Reports
NGOs
Ecumenical Humanitarian
Organization (EHO)
Returned
Roma face human rights abuse
The Ecumenical Humanitarian Organization (
The organisation notes that the returns were
sometimes accompanied by
violence or other forms of inhuman and degrading treatment and that Roma
returnees face additional discrimination on the basis of their ethnicity.
The report can be downloaded at:
http://ehons.org/download/klprr_en.pdf
(English)
http://ehons.org/download/klprr_sr.pdf (Serbian)
Open Society Institute
Segregation in schools is expensive and we
will all have to pay for it
Budapest, 13 June 2007 - As one of the Governments leading the 'Decade of Roma
Inclusion 2005-2015', Hungary has achieved a high profile for its efforts to
address the many problems facing its Roma population. The Government has
adopted a series of initiatives aimed at giving Roma children better access to
education as a step towards improving their inclusion and opportunities for the
future. According to a report released today, however, critical elements
included in these Governmental policies have been overlooked in practice so
far, hindering
the possibility of any true progress.
The monitoring report "Equal Access to Quality Education for Roma in
discrimination, isolation or exclusion from education.
Segregation is officially illegal in
schools located in segregated residential areas where there is no or little non
Roma population with which to integrate.
The Hungarian edition of the report was launched today in Tiszabura. Despite
being a member of the OOIH, the National Network of Educational Integration
designed to combat segregation, the school in this rural area still has an
overwhelmingly Roma student body.
Without addressing the larger context of geographic isolation, poverty and
deprivation in which children live, the report makes clear, educational
integration cannot succeed. According to Lilla Farkas, a co-author of the
report, "when addressing access to quality education for Roma and impoverished
majority children we must shift our focus away from legal amendments. There is
now an urgent need for re-training teachers in modern teaching techniques and
also rethinking the design of urbanisation policies. Where the whole community
is excluded and
isolated, measures must reach farther to truly grant equal access."
The report released today also highlights the absence of an effective
inspection mechanism for schools. In contrast with other countries in the
region,
are responsible for exercising control over schools in their jurisdiction.
According to the report, local inspections have proven ineffective in
identifying problems such as segregation, and the report cites an example where
OKEV, the national body with limited powers of inspection, has also failed to
condemn segregation where it is evident.
Drawing upon material collected in three case studies, including Tiszabura, the
OSI report exposes serious shortcomings in the training and support to teachers
in the classroom. Even the Decade Action Plan developed by the Government makes
no specific mention of the need to
improve this essential area. While teachers may attend courses to develop their
abilities to work with modern, child-centred methods, when they return to their
classrooms they often revert to a traditional, lecture-based approach. Without
access to ongoing support and continuous education, the report argues, teachers
may continue to rely on nineteenth-century methods to teach the children of the
twenty-first century.
The monitoring report is accompanied by 44 detailed and concrete
recommendations addressed at the Hungarian Government with the aim of contributing
to offer Roma children in
…
The full text of the reports in English and
in translation is available online at http://www.eumap.org.
The
Hungarian report was prepared in cooperation with the co-author of the report,
Dr. Lilla Farkas, lawyer at the Chance for Children Foundation; and with
Szilvia Nemeth, education specialist and researcher, Hungarian Institute for
Educational Research and Development; Attila Z. Papp, researcher, Hungarian
Academy of Science/Research Institute of Ethnic and National Minorities;
Julianna Boros, researcher, political sociologist; Zsofia Kardos, researcher,
Koping Datorg Zrt.
The report is available online at
http://www.eumap.org/pressinfo/press_releases/roma_ed/hungary/englishpr.pdf
Source: Open Society Institute (Press release)
News
digest
Countries
Belgium
Woonwagenbewoners protesteren tegen
'nummering'
9 juli 2007
RIJSWIJK - Drie bewoners van het
woonwagencentrum in Rijswijk die vorige week zijn aangehouden, hebben een
klacht ingediend tegen de politie Haaglanden. De Mobiele Eenheid (ME) zou
cijfers op hun handen en armen hebben gezet en dat wordt door de klagers gezien
als een ongewenste inbreuk op hun lichamelijke integriteit.
Volgens een
woordvoerster van de politie zette een medewerker van arrestantenzorg de
cijfers op de handen. „Hij heeft dat uit onervarenheid gedaan. Deze actie
past totaal niet in ons beleid, het is absoluut als handeling van een
individuele medewerker te zien”, meldde de zegsvrouw dinsdag. Arrestantenzorg is onderdeel van de politie. Bij grotere
acties vervoert de dienst arrestanten met busjes naar het bureau.
De klacht is ook opgestuurd
naar de Nationale ombudsman. Een
zegsvrouw van het Sinti en Roma Centrum noemt het 'nummeren' van de drie
Sinti-mannen een „traumatische” ervaring. „Tijdens de Tweede
Wereldoorlog zijn honderdduizenden Sinti en Roma afgevoerd naar
concentratiekampen waarbij in hun armen een nummer werd getatoeëerd. Het
is voor ons onacceptabel dat de politie in Nederland op een vergelijkbare
manier omgaat met haar arrestanten.”
„Wij vinden het
heel erg naar dat het zo is gegaan”, aldus de zegsvrouw van de politie.
„Wij nemen de klacht in behandeling, die wordt volgens de gebruikelijke
procedure afgehandeld.” De woordvoerster liet weten dat de politie
normaalgesproken zogenoemde identificatiestrips hanteert, een soort armbandjes
die zij om de polsen van arrestanten kan binden.
De politie viel het
woonwagencentrum binnen omdat er zou zijn geknoeid met gas en elektriciteit.
Bij dertien van de zestien woonwagens bleek dat inderdaad het geval. Het
vermoeden was dat er een illegale hennepkwekerij op het terrein zou zijn, maar
die werd niet aangetroffen. „De mannen zijn uiteindelijk aangehouden
omdat ze zeer beledigend waren naar de politie. En dan heb ik het echt over
heel grof taalgebruik”, aldus de woordvoerster.
De arrestanten klagen
tevens dat de ME hen zou hebben verboden in hun eigen taal, het Romanes, te
praten. „Dat is niet waar, iedereen mag zijn eigen taal gebruiken”,
aldus de zegsvrouw van de politie.
Bron: De Telegraaf
http://www.telegraaf.nl/binnenland/66773941/Woonwagenbewoners_protesteren_tegen__nummering_.html
Cabinet committed
to Roma integration in
The Cabinet
was seriously committed to solving the problems of the Roma community in
Roma integration was social, rather than
political or ethnic problem, Hiuseinov said.
To get equal labour market opportunities,
Roma people needed better education, he said. Apart from the low education
levels, Roma suffered bad housing conditions and unemployment.
Svetoslav Ivanov, another forum participant
said that more than 800 000 Roma people live in
Almost 400 000 people of Roma origin live
isolated in ghettoes, Ivanov said.
Source: Sofia Echo
Bosnia-Herzegovina
SE: BiH da ne proteruje izbegle
28. Juna 2007
Strazburg - Iz Saveta Evrope
upućen poziv BiH da ne vraća izbeglice s Kosova na Kosovo jer
situacija tamo nije potpuno bezbedna.
Komesar Saveta Evrope za
ljudska prava Tomas Hamarberg zatražio je od vlasti Bosne i Hercegovine da
ne primoravaju izbeglice sa Kosova da napuste Bosnu do 30. juna. On je u
saopštenju ocenio da budućnost Kosova nije sigurna, a da je
bezbednosna situacija u toj pokrajini krhka.
On je dodao da bi izbeglicama koje ne mogu da se vrate trebalo predložiti
dugoročno rešenje u BiH, koje podrazumeva pravo azila, stalnu
boravišu dozvolu, pa čak i državljanstvo za one koji su
više godina u Bosni.
Bosanske vlasti najavile su da će do 30. juna povući privremene
boravišne dozvole za izbeglice sa Kosova.
Oko 3.000 izbeglica sa
Kosova, uglavnom Roma, nalazi se u kolektivnim centrima po Bosni. Većina
njih napustila je Kosovo posle sukoba 1998-99. godine.
Izvor: Beta
http://www.b92.net/info/vesti/index.php?yyyy=2007&mm=06&dd=28&nav_category=167&nav_id=253198
Czech Republic
Many Czech children end in institutional care over
poverty-press
26 June 2007
Prague
- Czech social authorities often place children from low-income, often Romany
families in institutional care in unnecessary cases instead of providing
material and social aid to their parents who have ended up in financial difficulties,
but want to look after their kids, the political weekly Respekt writes in its
latest issue.
In
some cases, even small babies have been sent to homes directly from a maternity
hospital, though their mothers would rather need a proper social aid.
The
weekly refers to rough estimates provided by NGOs monitoring such cases as
exact official figures about the children taken from their biological families
for poverty reasons are not available,
According
to them, 8,000 children were sent to institutional care in the 10-million
From
the purely economic viewpoint, this social policy is also "very
expensive" since the costs of a child in institutional care are between
200,000 and 300,000 crowns a year, while the necessary financial aid to a
family in need would amount to some 70,000 crowns a year, including the
subsistence level along with expenditure on education, the weekly says,
referring to NGOs.
A
targeted social aid would solve problems in a number of cases where the
parents, though often unemployed, with a low education level and not
well-versed in legislative and administrative issues, love their children and
are willing to improve their social situation to be able to keep them.
The
weekly cites the case of Barbora and Mirek Viola whose four- and three-year-old
sons suffer from serious health troubles - allergy on dairy products and
asthma. As the parents had no job and no convenient housing and the first son's
health conditions deteriorated, the social authority concluded that they were
not able to take care of they boy and he was taken from the family. His little
brother was sent to a children's home right after the birth.
The
desperate parents have been striving hard to get their sons back home since
January, when they found a little flat where they could live together, but in
vain. At present they can only see the sons in a children's home during
official visiting hours and sometimes they may take them home, but never both
together. The kids are not allowed to stay with their biological parents
overnight either, Respekt writes.
The
social system apparently failed in this case. Instead of the radical solution
harming both the parents and children, social workers should have cooperated
with NGOs to help provide a provisional housing for the family and explain to
the uneducated parents how to look after the allergic children, Hane Zurovcova
from the NGO Hnizdo (Nest) told the weekly.
Respekt
writes that clerks from Czech social authorities mostly do not work with a
family in need at first as they are often in charge of too many cases and have
no time, and sometimes even no will, to take an individual approach to the
parents.
If
a suspicion of a wilful neglect surfaces, the clerks without hesitation decide
to place children to an institution instead of trying to solve often only
temporary problems of the biological family.
A
more systemic solution to the problem is also prevented by the fact that the
family agenda is split among local authorities that supervise social workers
and three ministries - of health, education and of labour and social affairs,
Respekt says.
Moreover,
the poor parents are often frightened and do not know where to seek help and
how to defend themselves. Their case is then assessed on the basis of official
documents submitted by the social authority and courts often decide upon their
recommendation.
One
of the few Czech NGOs that offer help to parents who want to "win"
their children back is Hnizdo, headed by Zurovcova.
She
recalls in Respekt that the impulse to set up her organisation was a shocking
case of the Sivak family from
The
authority reacted first to the behaviour problems of their older son who
started to skip school, which "disqualified the parents in the clerks'
eyes" so they started to take all children in their pre-school age from
the family, including their newborn daughter who was sent to institutional care
directly from a maternity hospital.
Zurovcova
told the weekly that with the aid of her organisation, the little girl returned
to her parents after five months, and the Sivaks also succeeded in the
"fight" for their youngest son. However, the second son is still in a
children's home and his older brother is on the run.
Thanks
to the NGO, the Sivaks are now living a "normal family life," Respekt
adds.
"During
the time we were providing help to the Sivaks, we realised that this is no rare
case and we started to prepare a project. At first we helped some 27 families,
now is up to 120 families, two-thirds of which are Romanies," Zurovcova
told Respekt.
To
take children from their biological parents should be an extreme solution under
law, yet in the
"Institutional
care can cover children's material needs, but it will at the same time
completely break up the family bonds," she stressed.
Nevertheless,
it seems that these problems have at least attracted attention thanks to people
like Zurovcova, and the Czech Labour and Social Affairs Ministry has started to
seek solutions.
The
ministry admits that a comprehensive programme for deprived families in need is
lacking, Kristyna Kotalova, head of the children's social and legal protection
section at the ministry, told Respekt.
Labour
and Social Affairs Minister Petr Necas (senior ruling Civic Democrats, ODS)
therefore wants to establish the National Office for Employment and Social Administration
that would also coordinate the work of social workers. The government could
thereby influence their number and train new ones if need be.
The
ministry also intends to introduce the method of "conference on the
case," that is to organise meetings of parents, NGO experts and social
authorities to agree on an individual plan of help to a particular family.
"The
most important step is probably to unite the agenda under one ministry from
which it would be controlled and monitored consistently," the weekly
quotes Petr Bittner from the Human Rights League as saying.
Source:
CTK
Most Czechs say co-existence with Romanies
bad
Most, 79 percent, of Czechs consider the co-existence of the Romany and non-Romany populations bad, according to a poll conducted by the polling institute CVVM in May and released today. The opposite view is held by only 16 percent of them. Czechs also believe that Romanies' opportunities are somewhat limited in social areas in comparison with non-Romanies. The situation in employment is considered the biggest problem as 62 percent of Czechs believe that Romanies face worse conditions in this field. Some 48 percent believe that Romanies have worse opportunities in the public life.
The poll was conducted among 1132 Czechs. CVVM analysts said that situation had slightly worsened, returning to the state in 2003. In 2006, co-existence with Romanies was considered good by 22 percent and bad by 69 percent of those polled. One half of Czechs said Romanies lived near their residence. They tend to assess negatively their co-existence with Romanies in the place of their residence. It was seen bad by almost three-fifths of Czechs, good by two-fifths.
There was also
the question of how to improve relations with Romanies. Non-Romanies
should be more tolerant and have no prejudices, the respondents said. As far as
Romanies are concerned, they should adapt themselves to the rules of the
majority society, behave decently and work, most Czechs said.
Co-existence of Romanies and non-Romanies (%):
very bad 26
fairly bad 53
fairly good 16
very good 0
does not good 5
Source:
No help to be provided to evicted Czech Romanies-press
Vsetin - The authorities of the north Moravian town of
The
Vsetin authorities have rejected Czech Ombudsman Otakar Motejl's report in
which he said that the town hall made a mistake when it moved out Romany
rent-defaulters from the town's centre and that the Romanies are entitled to
receiving flats and returning to their native town, the paper says.
The
town hall was then headed by Jiri Cunek, now Christian Democrat (KDU-CSL)
leader, Deputy Prime Minister and Local Development Minister in the government
of Mirek Topolanek (Civic Democrats).
The
authorities explained their decision to evict the Romany families that did not
pay rent by the fact that they had to leave the house due to unhealthy living
conditions.
However,
Motejl says in his report that the state of the houses to which the Romanies
were moved is no better than that of their original home.
Some
of the Romany families were moved to container flats on Vsetin outskirts, while
others were sent away from Vsetin and resettled elsewhere in
"It
is a shock. They did not accept any of the recommendations from the report. All
the statements made by the Vsetin town hall that they will come to help the
Romanies was a mere good theatre performance. They have left the families to
their own devices," Vaclav Zastera from the Roma Vidnava group said after
he met representatives of the Vsetin town hall on Monday.
"This
is awful. They forced us to change our permanent residence. They threatened
that they would suspend the payment of welfare benefits to us," the paper
quotes Karol Kandrac whose family was moved out to Vidnava as saying.
The
Vsetin town hall evicted the Romany families from their flats on
The
Romanies did not know where they were driven and they only saw their new home
when they were brought there.
Source: CTK
Rechte von Roma
stärken
Mit der Situation von
Roma in der Europäischen Union, in den EU-Beitrittsländern und im
Kosovo hat sich die Bundesregierung in ihrer Antwort (16/2197) auf die Große Anfrage der Fraktion BÜNDNIS
90/DIE GRÜNEN (16/918) befasst, die Anlass für eine halbstündige
Beratung im Plenum war. Die Abgeordneten stimmten einem Antrag der Koalition. (16/5736) zu, in dem sie die Bundesregierung auffordern, sich auf
EU-Ebene für die Roma einzusetzen und gemeinsam mit anderen Ländern
Initiativen gegen die Diskriminierung und für die Integration der Roma zu
entwickeln. Die Fraktionen von CDU/CSU und SPD fordern unter anderem
gleichberechtigten Zugang zum Arbeitsmarkt für die Roma mit der
Staatsangehörigkeit des jeweiligen Staates, Leistungen der sozialen
Sicherheit und angemessene Wohnverhältnisse sowie für Roma-Kinder die
Möglichkeit einer kostenlosen und qualitativ hochwertigen Schulbildung.
Quelle: Deutscher Bundestag Webseite
http://www.bundestag.de/aktuell/archiv/2007/sitz_kw25/index.html
Life: a treacherous protagonist
A beautiful young Roma (or
Gypsy) girl with sparkling eyes was Stavros Theodorakis's guest last Sunday on
Mega television channel's popular «Protagonists» show. The
11-year-old Paraskevoula, who lives near Aspropyrgos in western
The 11-year-old pores over
her books in a small tent set up in an old aircraft hangar; this is her study.
With her textbooks laid out on the ground, Paraskevoula studies sitting
cross-legged. At night, she continues her reading by flashlight.
The TV camera managed to
capture the most beautiful aspects of life at the Roma encampment - the
expressive faces, the joyful children playing outdoors, the swaying of bodies
to music. But these beautiful and moving images are accompanied by a story
which is anything but photogenic: a story of poverty, illiteracy, open sewers,
health epidemics and social exclusion.
And what about schooling?
«The school burned
down,» Paraskevoula remarks casually.
This is true, but the
school did not burn down accidentally. Unidentified arsonists attacked it over
the Easter holidays in April. The program shows footage of three containers
ablaze, a heartbreaking image of smoke and charred walls. These three
containers once constituted a school.
This is where Paraskevoula,
and another 50 or so other Roma children, used to have their lessons -
separated from the «other children.»
This is the big news, the
challenge for every journalist, but unfortunately it cannot be accommodated
within the format of this particular TV show, which focuses on personalities,
not news. The development that may influence the future of little Paraskevoula
is merely alluded to in passing.
The Roma school was created
in September 2005 after pressure from residents who did not want their children
in the same classes as the Roma. But first some of its windows were broken,
then it was vandalized by offensive graffiti, its air-conditioning units were
stolen, and this Easter the unknown assailants finally finished off their
sabotage.
When a school opens, a jail
closes, the saying goes. But what happens when a school burns down? It was
nearly six weeks after the arson attack before the incident was referred to in
the media. Roma communities do not have blogs to publicize their plight.
«Protagonists»
is a show with a specific attitude, a quick pace, good camera-work and
direction. It approaches its subjects with sensitivity and tenderness. In the
aformentioned case, the 11-year-old girl was charming and moving but one must
not forget that life is the most treacherous protagonist of all.
Marianna Tziantzi
Source: Ekathimerini
http://www.ekathimerini.com/4dcgi/_w_articles_columns_1474557_23/06/2007_84862
Italy/Romania
Un a suora: «Ci vivono 50 famiglie, visto il fuoco
sono fuggiti tutti»
Afuoco
un campo di rom in via San Dionigi
29 giugno 2007
Le fiamme si sono estese sollevando una nuvola di fumo
visibiledal centro. Donne e bambini trascorrono la notte nei dormitori
Vasto incendio nel
campo nomadi di via San Dionigi, all'estrema periferia sud di Milano. Le fiamme
si sono rapidamente estese sollevando una nuvola di fumo visibile anche dal
centro città. Decine di baracche bruciate, non ci sarebbero feriti. Sul
posto sono arrivati gli automezzi dei vigili del fuoco, un'ambulanza e le
volanti della polizia. L'operazione di spegnimento è resa difficile dal
gran numero di banconi di legno, e pericolosa per la presenza di alcune bombole
a gas. Sarebbe bruciato l'intero campo: «È un appezzamento di
1.600 metri quadrati - spiega il proprietario del terreno occupato abusivamente
dai nomadi -. Me lo hanno preso cinque anni fa: è la terza volta in tre
anni che scoppia un incendio simile».
50 FAMIGLIE - Un
centinaio di nomadi si è accampato sui marciapiedi di via San Dionigi,
di fronte al campo in fiamme. «In questo insediamento vivevano circa 50
famiglie» spiega suor Ancilla dell'associazione Nocetum, una delle
organizzazioni che forniscono assistenza scolastica e sanitaria ai nomadi della
zona: «Ci sono circa 60 bambini, 50 sono scolarizzati. Appena hanno visto
il fuoco tutti sono fuggiti, perché sanno che quando scocca una
scintilla, le fiamme possono divampare in un attimo».
DORMITORI - Donne e
bambini del campo di via San Dionigi trascorreranno la notte nei dormitori del
Comune. Lo ha detto l'assessore ai servizi Sociali Mariolina Moioli.
«Stiamo cercando di accogliere donne e bambini nelle strutture
comunali» ha aggiunto. E gli uomini? «si arrangeranno - ha risposto
l'assessore -. Si comincia da chi ha più bisogno, il resto
verrà». Intanto suor Ancilla ha radunato le mamme e i bambini
nella vicina chiesa, sede dell'associazione per cui lavora, per iniziare lo
smistamento nelle strutture.
PRECEDENTI - Una
settimana fa un incendio aveva distrutto diverse baracche di un insediamento
rom a Sesto San Giovanni. Due giorni prima, il 21 giugno, i vigili del fuoco
erano dovuti intervenire per spegnere le fiamme appiccate in via Triboniano da
un gruppo di rom appena sfollati da uno dei campi irregolari sorti intorno al
cimitero Maggiore.
http://www.corriere.it/vivimilano/cronache/articoli/2007/06_Giugno/29/incendio_campo_rom.shtml
Italy Romania
1,000 migrants a month
arrive in Italian capital £20-a-week wages mean few are likely to go back
Tourists gazing down from Rome's
third-century BC Milvian bridge get a glimpse of an idyllic, tree-lined stretch
of the Tiber winding its way into the heart of the city. But if they look
closer, they can make out a cluster of well-hidden shacks on the river bank
built by homeless Roma migrants - many from
Desperate families sleep
under elevated roads that ring the capital, in suburban woods and even, in the
case of 14 Romanians discovered by police last month, in a Roman cistern along
the
Now, however, amid the surge in immigration
- 1,000 Roma arrive from
"We need to contain
the flow from
There are now around 7,000
Romanian Roma in the Italian capital. "Of those only 1,500 are living in
council-run facilities, the rest are in shacks or in the open," said town
hall spokesman Enrico Serpieri.
Their presence has
generated a succession of confrontations in
Livio Galos, an official
from
While Mr Veltroni hopes his
trip is a success, a Roma spokesman was dubious that many would want to return
to Romania while available wages ranged from €20 to €40 (£13
to £27) a week.
Massimo Converso, a
spokesman for Italian Roma group Opera Nomadi, said there was, however, an
alternative to returning or entering the planned camps, which Mr Veltroni's
opponents have likened to prison camps.
"We want to live in
houses," he said. "So we are pushing the Italian government to hand
over disused public buildings like stations and maintenance buildings along
highways." Mr Converso said that after a pilot project saw Roma families
move into old farmhouses near
Tom Kington
Source: The Guardian
http://www.guardian.co.uk/italy/story/0,,2111620,00.html
Politicians Still Use Racist Language
Against Roma
Three
local non-governmental organizations submitted on June 9 a complaint to the
National Council to Fight Discrimination, or CNCD, considering that Social
Democrat deputy Vasile Dancu displayed a racist stance in saying his party
“should make a difference between gypsidom and social-democracy.”
Serbia
Refugees in
Many of the refugees'
homes have either been destroyed or remain inaccessible to them. Problems
relate to dubious ownership, residence and work permits, while pensions and red
tape further aggravate the problems of refugees who can neither return, nor
integrate in
Most of the refugees from
former Yugoslav republics settled in and around
Today, a dozen years since
the end of the war in
Overall, according to
official and media figures, more than 400,000 people have arrived in
Many of the refugees live
in sub-human conditions, without water and sanitation in abandoned barracks,
schools or former recreational centres throughout
'There are 16 people living
in a single room here,' said a refugee in a semi-destroyed former recreational
centre on the outskirts of
There are no real walls and
doors between the 'rooms,' only makeshift screens. Though without tap water for
eight months and sharing just one toilet, some 50 people living there recently
refused relocation to 'an even worse place,' TV B92 reported.
Among the refugees and the
displaced in
Source: Deutsche
Presse-Agentur
Six years in a van
22 –
Approximately
1,200 Rumanian gypsies live in the province. One married couple tell of their
experience
THEY call
themselves the real gypsies, and were somewhat surprised to find gypsies in
Ionel
is one of the approximately 1,200 Rumanian gypsies living in the
The
gypsies were the principal victims of the economic disaster following the fall
of communism in
Ionel
and his wife Jeni were among the first Rumanian gypsies to leave their
homeland, crossing the closed frontiers in 1988. They returned ten years later,
but by then conditions in the country had worsened, and they left again.
“We
travelled through
In
For
the Savu family, the light at the end of the tunnel was the integration of their
country into the European Union and the subsequent accessibility of work and
residency papers. But adapting to their new society was not easy. Rumanian
gypsies form part of a very traditional society whose cultural prohibitions
include the woman staying at home and the man going out to work. Women in this
society always wear long dresses. “I got a job as a cleaning
woman,” says Jeni, “and on the first day, I turned up dressed in a
skirt, and soon discovered I could not do the job properly the way I was
dressed. I had to go home again and tell my husband that it was a choice of
wearing pants or being out of a job.” She chose the job, and since then
frequently wears pants around the house as well.
They
arrived in
22
musicians together
Living
conditions can be rough in that area, and the study reveals the story of a
group of 22 musicians who shared the same apartment there last summer, while
working in the city to save enough money to take home with them at the end of
the summer.
But
almost a third of the Rumanian gypsy population in
Today,
the couple lives in the Ciudad Jardín area with two of their children
and one grandchild. They speak good Spanish, the children go to school and they
have no plans to return to
Gema
Martínez
Source: Sur
http://www.surinenglish.com/noticias.php?Noticia=10854
Switzerland/Romania/France
Roma immigrants suffer discrimination and hardship
A Swiss TV team
investigated into the destiny of Romanian Roma who have come to
The
feature (in French) is available via internet:
http://www.tsr.ch/tsr/index.html?siteSect=500000#bcid=507691;vid=7927861
Sulukule
Auf der Langstrasse von
Istanbul
28. Juni 2007
Sie leben schon
länger am Bosporus als die TürkInnen, und doch werden die Roma nun
aus ihrem alten Quartier an der Stadtmauer vertrieben. Für die
türkische Gesellschaft ist dieser Umgang mit Minderheiten nicht neu - das
Problem, das sind immer nur die anderen.
Wer nach Sulukule
kommt, dem fällt der alte Spruch ein: Einmal kein Fortschritt, das
wäre einer! Dabei ist das Viertel alles andere als schön, es ist
nicht einmal folkloristisch oder, wie UrlauberInnen aus Westeuropa
vielleicht sagen würden, authentisch. Aber TouristInnen kommen sowieso
nicht mehr nach Sulukule, obwohl das Viertel vor rund fünfzehn Jahren den
meisten Reisenden bekannt war - so, wie viele die Langstrasse in Zürich
oder die Reeperbahn in Hamburg kennen.
Sulukule heisst
Wasserturm, und wahrscheinlich gab es in diesem Stadtteil im Schatten der
Stadtmauern ein Wasserdepot. Später wurde das Quartier zum
einzigartigen Vergnügungsviertel Istanbuls, hier herrschte einst eine
andere Stimmung als in der sonst eher ernsten und verschlossenen Stadt.
Denn Alkohol gab es
damals längst nicht in allen Restaurants, und allenfalls in ein paar
Touristenhotels schwang eine Bauchtänzerin ihre Hüften, wenn dies
ein Reiseveranstalter rechtzeitig organisiert hatte. Nicht selten kam dann die
Tänzerin aus Sulukule. In Sulukule selbst war überall Musik, der
Alkohol floss in Strömen, die hübschen Mädchen schüttelten
ihre langen schwarzen Haare beim Tanz, und wer spendabel war, konnte sich bis
zum Morgengrauen vergnügen.
Heute ist Sulukule
einfach dreckig und heruntergekommen, es gibt kaum ein Haus, an dem auch nur
ein einziger Fensterladen gerade hängt. Wer vor der byzantinischen
Stadtmauer Konstantinopels steht und auf die niedrigen und krummen Häuser
blickt, die zwischen den alten Mauerdurchbrüchen hervorschauen, kann hin
und wieder einen der Bewohner beobachten, der sich zwischen den Steinen des
alten Verteidigungswalles ein Plätzchen sucht, um seine Notdurft zu verrichten.
In manchen Häusern gibt es keinen Wasseranschluss mehr, erfahre ich
später.
Wie lange hält man
es in so einem Viertel aus? Nicht lange - so hofft offenbar die
Stadtverwaltung, die alle Häuser dieses Stadtteils abreissen lassen will.
Sie praktiziert seit Jahren die türkische Version eines
Entmietungsprogramms. Dabei sind die, die da rausgemobbt werden sollen, keine
MieterInnen, sondern im Grundbuch eingetragene Haus- und WohnungsbesitzerInnen.
Den neuen Plänen
zufolge sollen die EinwohnerInnen von Sulukule einem Wohnbezirk der besonderen
Art weichen: Vorgesehen ist eine Mischung aus Disneyland im gefälligen
osmanisch-europäischen Stil: Teure Villen mit farbigen Holzfassaden,
Apartment-Hotels, Einkaufszentren, da und dort ein Swimmingpool und eine
Zufahrt zu einer Tiefgarage. Neu ist dieser Plan nicht. Neu ist, dass die
Abrissbirne inzwischen zum ersten Mal zugeschlagen hat und das von ihr
angerichtete Trümmerfeld den übrigen BewohnerInnen droht.
Vom Tanzlokal auf die Müllhalde
«Kommen Sie
rein», sagt die Romafrau Gülsüm Öztürk, die gerade
die Treppe in ihrem Haus schrubbt. Gülsüm sagt, sie sei 54 Jahre alt,
«genau weiss ich das nicht». Aber sie weiss, dass schon ihr
Grossvater in diesem Haus geboren wurde - und zuletzt, vor achtzehn Jahren, ihr
jüngster Sohn, mit dem sie noch immer zusammenlebt. «Er hat die Zeit
nicht mehr erlebt, als alle Urlauber nach Sulukule kamen. Denn hier
herrschte nicht nur eine andere Stimmung als im Rest der Stadt - hier war auch
alles billiger als in den noblen Hotelbars.» Bier und Döner zum
Beispiel kosteten nicht einmal die Hälfte dessen, was man in einem Hotel
dafür bezahlte.
Gülsüm hatte
damals in den Kneipen von Sulukule T-Shirts verkauft und Hosen, so wie ihre
Mutter. Fast alle BewohnerInnen von Sulukule verdienten mit der Unterhaltung
der Reisenden aus Europa und dem Vergnügen freigebiger Istanbuler ihren
Lebensunterhalt, die Mädchen bekamen allein fürs Tanzen umgerechnet
fünfzehn Franken in der Stunde. Aber jetzt, sagt Gülsüm,
«gibt es keine Arbeit mehr für uns. Der Junge bewirbt sich
überall, aber wenn er sagt, wo er herkommt, dann schicken sie ihn wieder
fort.» Also jobben die meisten als GelegenheitsarbeiterInnen, waschen
Autos oder laufen auf den Autobahnen mit Getränken und Blumen zwischen den
Fahrzeugen herum, wenn sich wieder mal ein Stau gebildet hat. Sie spielen bei
Hochzeiten und anderen Festen auf, sammeln Lumpen oder wühlen in den
Müllbergen der Stadt nach Bierdosen und anderem Material, das sich
verkaufen lässt.
Ihr Sohn Özkan,
das steht für Gülsüm fest, wird ein Mädchen aus dem
Quartier heiraten - etwas anderes habe sowieso keinen Sinn. Die Familie ihres
Mannes, der nicht aus Sulukule kam, hatte sie nie akzeptiert; deshalb lebt sie
jetzt allein mit ihrem Jüngsten. Sie nimmt ihr Kopftuch ab, zieht die Beine
auf dem Sofa unter den Körper und zündet sich eine Zigarette an.
«Ich habe keine andere Heimat als dieses Viertel. Hier kann ich
wenigstens so leben, wie ich will.» Anderswo würden die Frauen sie
nur anstarren wie eine unwürdige Greisin, brummt sie.
«Was man uns als
Entschädigung anbietet, ist ein Hohn», sagt Gülsüm. 500
Lira, umgerechnet 460 Franken, zahlt ihr die Stadtverwaltung pro Quadratmeter;
wollte oder könnte sie ihr Haus auf dem freien Markt verkaufen,
bekäme sie mindestens das Vier- bis Fünffache. Aber sie will nicht,
und sie könnte auch nicht mehr, seit die Stadt die Finger drauf hat.
«Und dann, so habe ich gehört, wollen sie mir auch noch die
Abrisskosten in Rechnung stellen. Dabei können wir für das Geld
nirgends eine neue Unterkunft finden.»
Rund zwei Millionen
Roma leben in der Türkei, wie viele davon in Istanbul, das weiss niemand
genau. Im Viertel Sulukule sind es zwischen 10 000 und 15 000, aber hier
rechnet man in Familien, nicht in Einzelpersonen. In Ankara wurde kürzlich
ein Romaviertel abgerissen, 170 Familien wissen seither nicht wohin. In der
Stadt Bursa am Marmarameer mussten vor nicht allzu langer Zeit hundert Romabaracken
einem neuen «Kulturpark» weichen, ein Romaviertel in Istanbul
(Kagithane) wurde im vergangenen Jahr geschleift, in Sulukule bangen rund 1500
Familien um ihr
Zuhause.
Wer gibt einer Zigeunerin Kredit?
«Wie sollen wir
leben, wenn man uns hier vertreibt?», fragt Gülsüm
Öztürk. «Schauen Sie, ich habe Asthma, ich bin nicht
versichert, und Özkan hat zurzeit keine Arbeit. Jetzt kauft mir mein
Nachbar die Medikamente. Ich kriege beim Krämer an der Ecke auch Brot,
wenn ich mal kein Geld habe; er weiss, dass ich meine Schulden bezahle. Wer
hilft denn sonst einer Zigeunerin oder gibt ihr Kredit?» Viele
BewohnerInnen der bereits abgerissenen Häuser hatten zunächst in
einem Pferdewagen auf der Strasse geschlafen, bis die Stadtverwaltung dies
untersagte. Nun haben etliche bei FreundInnen und Verwandten Unterschlupf
gefunden.
Aber was für einen
Unterschlupf! Weil die meisten ihre Wasser- und Stromrechnungen nicht bezahlen
können, hat die Stadtverwaltung die Leitungen gesperrt. Sogar
öffentliche Brunnen wurden abgestellt, damit die Armen nicht doch noch
irgendwie zu Wasser kommen. «Die halten uns für dumme Zigeuner, weil
wir nicht lesen und schreiben können», schimpft Gülsüm,
«aber wir können denken.»
Eine Lobby haben die
Roma nicht, das war schon immer so. In den ersten Jahren der türkischen
Republik stellte ein sogenanntes Ansiedlungsgesetz die Roma auf eine Stufe mit
«Anarchisten, Spionen und solchen, die der türkischen Kultur nicht
angehören». In keinem der Programme, die die Parteien für die
Wahl im kommenden Monat vorgelegt haben, taucht das Wort Roma auf. Jetzt
sammeln Hilfsorganisationen manchmal Lebensmittel und Medikamente für sie
- wie für Erdbebenopfer oder Kriegsflüchtlinge.
Klarinettenklang und
Trommeln in der Ferne: Die Musiker üben für ihren Auftritt am
Nachmittag. Manche Häuser sind über und über mit Zetteln markiert,
auf denen die im Grundbuch eingetragenen Parzellennummern der Grundstücke
stehen, welche die Stadtverwaltung für ihren neuen Bebauungsplan
beansprucht. «Wir haben bei einigen Häusern die Kennzeichnung wieder
abgerissen», sagt Özkan Öztürk. «Das macht einen
doch fertig, wenn man den ganzen Tag auf diese weissen Zettel schauen
muss.»
Protest auf wackliger Bühne
Es gibt zwar die Zusage
der Stadtverwaltung, dass das eine oder andere Haus stehen bleiben werde - aber
kaum jemand glaubt das. «Wie soll das gehen? Wenn da ein komplett neues
Viertel entsteht, passt doch kein altes Haus dorthin - und wie sollen die alten
Bewohner dort weiter wohnen können mit diesen neuen Nachbarn?» Mit
solchen Versprechungen wolle die Stadtverwaltung nur die gemeinsame Opposition
gegen den Abriss torpedieren.
Auf einem leeren Parkplatz
steht eine wackelige Bühne. Die Musiker spielen auf. In den
Zigarettenpausen greift sich einer das Mikrofon des Sängers und fordert
die Bevölkerung von Sulukule auf, ja nicht auf die Zusagen der
Stadtverwaltung hereinzufallen. Dann wird wieder getanzt, die Bühne
ächzt und wankt. Ein japanisches Fernsehteam weicht einer Tänzerin
mit langen schwarzen Haaren nicht von der Seite, ein Journalist aus Kanada will
von seinem Übersetzer den Text des Liedes erfahren, das gerade gespielt wird.
Sükrü Pündük, der Vorsitzende des Romakulturvereins, hat
sie eingeladen.
Er kennt den Bericht
der Europäischen Kommission gegen Rassismus und Intoleranz, der schon 1998
alle Staaten aufgefordert hat, bei Stadterneuerungen auch auf die Rechte der
Sinti und Roma zu achten. Er weiss, wie viele Klagen von Sinti und Roma aus
Bulgarien und Rumänien beim Europäischen Gerichtshof für
Menschenrechte anhängig sind. Und er ist bedrückt, dass
türkische Stadtverwaltungen in den letzten Monaten trotzdem - und von
niemandem behelligt - Hunderte Romafamilien in die Obdachlosigkeit treiben
konnten. «Hören Sie die Musik?», fragt er. «Die klingt
für Sie fröhlich - und so sind wir ja auch. Aber wer uns kennt, der
kann auch heraushören: So ausgelassen wie früher können
selbst unsere Musiker nicht mehr spielen.»
Dieter Sauter
Quelle: Die Wochenzeitung (WOZ)
http://www.woz.ch/artikel/2007/nr26/international/15144.html
Die Hoffnung der Opposition
Erbebensicher und die
Farbe Rot
WOZ: Herr Sükrü, seit wann lebt Ihre Familie
hier?
Sükrü
Pündük: Unsere Familie lebt seit 600 Jahren hier, ich kann etwa
sechzig Generationen zurückverfolgen. Damals kamen zwei Brüder und
ihre Schwester aus dem heutigen Bulgarien hierher. Das war Anfang des 15.
Jahrhunderts, noch bevor die Türken die Stadt eroberten.
Einige der 570
Häuser, die abgerissen werden sollen, sind schon weg. Viel Zeit bleibt
Ihnen nicht mehr.
Vor zwei Monaten sagte
die Stadtverwaltung: In zwei Monaten wird weiter abgerissen. Jetzt sagt sie
wieder: in zwei Monaten. Klar ist nur, sie wollen auf jeden Fall abreissen. Die
Bewohner der bisher abgerissenen Häuser haben eine Sondervereinbarung
akzeptiert, weil sie dachten, dass sie überhaupt kein Geld bekommen, wenn
sie jetzt nicht zustimmen. Die Stadt hat einfach die Unerfahrenheit und, sagen
wir es ruhig, auch die Dummheit der Menschen ausgenutzt. Wer hier hat schon das
Geld für einen Rechtsanwalt?
Aber viele
Häuser sind in einem wirklich schlechten Zustand.
Das ist Absicht. Zuerst
hat uns die Stadt verboten, unsere Häuser zu renovieren, ja, auch nur
irgendwas an ihnen zu verändern. Das sei ein denkmalgeschütztes
Gebiet, hiess es. Und jetzt sagen sie: Das ist alles heruntergekommen, das muss
weg! Das ist wie mit unseren Kneipen, die sie zwischen 1992 und 1994
geschlossen haben. Sie haben uns keine Lizenz für den Betrieb erteilt -
und dann haben sie unsere Gaststätten zugemacht, weil sie illegal seien.
Schon damals gab es den Plan, hier ein neues Viertel zu bauen.
Warum will man Sie vertreiben?
Die Lage unseres
Viertels ist einzigartig. Es liegt direkt an der alten Stadtmauer. Von hier zum
Flughafen sind es nur gut zehn Minuten, es gibt wichtige Schulen und
Krankenhäuser in der unmittelbaren Umgebung, wir haben sogar einen
Autobahnanschluss. Ausserdem haben Forschungsinstitute herausgefunden, dass das
Viertel eines der erdbebensichersten Gebiete der Stadt ist. Was haben wir hier
schon für Erdbeben erlebt - aber kein einziges Haus ist eingestürzt.
Sind Sie also dafür, dass alles so bleibt wie es
ist?
Wir wollen, dass die
Stadt uns hilft, unsere alten Häuser hier zu renovieren. Wenn wir sie
wieder herrichten könnten, dann wären sie etwas Besonderes. Dass das
geht, zeigt die Stadtverwaltung ja in anderen Quartieren, wo sie zusammen mit
den Bewohnern alte Häuser renovieren lässt. Wir wollen, dass man
Rücksicht nimmt auf unsere Kultur und unsere Geschichte. Diese Gemeinde
hier hat über Jahrhunderte zusammengelebt. Alle kennen sich, helfen sich.
Wir machen keinen Unterschied zwischen Tscherkessen, Lasen, Griechen, Roma,
Türken. Wir finden es schön, wenn alles bunt ist. Wenn die ganze Welt
nur eine Farbe hätte, und sei es auch die schönste Farbe, das
wäre schrecklich.
Und was wäre die Farbe der Roma?
Rot. Unsere Kultur, das
ist Musik, Tanz, Unterhaltung und Vergnügen. Schon unsere Kinder wachsen
damit auf. Wir sehen die Welt wie durch eine rosarote Brille. Und
tatsächlich ist es doch auch so: So wie Sie auf die Welt blicken, so sehen
Sie sie auch.
Dieter Sauter
Quelle: Die Wochenzeitung (WOZ)
http://www.woz.ch/artikel/2007/nr26/international/15144.html
Vacancies
Project Manager and Project Assistant
The
European Roma and Travellers Forum is looking for a Project Manager and a
Project Assistant to set up its new subsidiary in
Job Description (Project Manager)
- in cooperation with the Secretariat of the Forum, set up and maintain a
functional office in
-
establish and maintain good working relations with the European Commission,
Parliament and other EU institutions and national government representations,
- liaise with the national member organizations and the Secretariat in
Strasbourg and keep them informed about relevant developments affecting Roma at
EU level,
- in cooperation with the ERTF Secretariat, draft regular reports on specific
policy areas,
- in cooperation with the Secretariat and the network members issue policy
recommendations to the EU institutions on specific policy areas and policies
affecting Roma,
- establish and maintain good working relations with civil society
organizations working in Brussels, in particular with the Commission sponsored
networks.
Requirements
- University degree in Social Sciences or Law,
- minimum of three years of experience in a similar position with a national
NGO or public administration,
- knowledge and understanding of the situation of Roma in Europe,
- knowledge and understanding of EU politics, in particular on areas which
particularly affect Roma,
- good communication and writing skills,
- professional fluency in English and good knowledge of Romani compulsory,
- additional language skills in particular of French will be considered as an
asset.
Job Description (Project Assistant)
- assist the project manager in his/her daily duties,
- perform administrative tasks including book-keeping.
Requirements
- University degree in Social Sciences or Law or commensurate professional
experience,
- professional fluency in English and good knowledge of Romani compulsory,
- additional language in particular of French and Dutch will be considered as
an asset,
- flexibility and adaptability.
Candidates must be nationals of a Council of Europe member State.
Applications
Interested persons should send their application together with a cover letter
and CV outlining their interest and experience in English, French or Romani to:
European Roma and Travellers Forum
c/o Council of Europe
rue Toreau
F - 67075 Strasbourg
E-mail: ertf@ertf.org
Letters of recommendation from Roma or Traveller NGOs as well as of
recommendation from a former employer will be appreciated.
Established
in 2004, the European Roma and Travellers Forum is the European Romani interest
representation which gathers Romani organisations from all over
ERTF
Update is an information bulletin on Roma issues. The views represented in the
articles and comments do not necessarily represent the view of the European
Roma and Travellers Forum. For reactions and comments please write to ertf@ertf.org.
