Denial of education to Roma child violates human rights
Mon, Jan 30, 2012

D [a minor]-v- Refugee Appeals Tribunal Anor

High Court

Neutral Citation: IEHC 431. Judgment was given on November 10th, 2011 by Mr Justice Gerard Hogan

Judgment

The likely denial of access to basic primary education of a Roma child by Serbia violates basic human rights and amounts to persecution under the Refugee Act 1996, so the decision to deport a Roma child to Serbia should be quashed.

Background

The applicant was born in Ireland in 2006, though he is not an Irish citizen. His parents were born in Serbia and are regarded as Roma there. An application for refugee status was made on behalf of the child and was refused in August 2009.

It was claimed on his behalf he would suffer persecution if returned to Serbia in that he would not receive a basic education. The Refugee Appeals Tribunal member found that, while discrimination in access to education was likely to arise, this was not sufficient to satisfy the requirement of persecution under the Refugee Act.

Country of origin information from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, the European Commission and the US state department all did endorse the claim that Roma in general and children, especially girls, in particular, were subject to widespread discrimination. Few Roma children attend school in Serbia and when they do they are often sent to special schools for children with learning difficulties.

Mr Justice Hogan acknowledged that not all infringements of basic civil liberties or discrimination amounted to persecution. The concept of what constituted persecution did not lend itself to precise analysis, he said.

He pointed out that two previous judgments of the court had found that discrimination in other parts of former Yugoslavia, in one case against two ethnic Serbs and in another involving a Croat-Serb couple, did not amount to persecution.

Before analysing the tribunal member’s conclusions, the court needed to examine the level of discrimination he was likely to encounter if returned to Serbia, he said. The available country of origin information painted a picture of “pervasive discrimination against Roma children”.

Decision

Mr Justice Hogan pointed out that almost 60 years ago the US Supreme Court famously declared, in Brown -v- Board of Education of Topeka that segregated schooling violated the equality principle in the US constitution. While this did not mean it was persecution, it illustrated the point that segregated schooling was a hallmark of a society where the disadvantaged group would be subjected to pervasive discrimination and exclusion which, in some circumstances, could amount to persecution.

In this case the statistics showed that the applicant was likely not to receive even a basic education. The question arose as to whether official indifference to this amounted to persecution.

Mr Justice Hogan quoted from Prof James Hathaway’s book, The Law of Refugee Status , where persecution is defined as “the failure to implement a right within the category which is either discriminatory or not grounded in the absolute lack of resources”.

The right to education was widely regarded as fundamental in article 42 of the Constitution, article 2 of the first protocol of the European Convention on Human Rights and article 14 of the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, as well as the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. “If master D is denied the right to even a basic education he will effectively be excluded from any meaningful participation in Serbian society,” Mr Justice Hogan said. It was therefore more serious than the discrimination suffered in the two other cases referred to.

“While the present case certainly falls outside the classic types of persecution envisaged by the Geneva convention … it nonetheless seems impossible to avoid the conclusion that the denial of even basic education amounts to a severe violation of basic human rights [and] amounts to persecution within the meaning of S 2 of the Refugee Act 1996,” he said.

The full judgment is on www.courts.ie.

——————

Michael Lynn BL, instructed by John Gerard Cullen, Carrick-on-Shannon, for the applicant; Cindy Carroll BL, instructed by the Chief State Solicitor, for the State.

Link: http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2012/0130/122...

GRAZIE

Roma and the Beautiful Game

27/01/2012 – Andrea Pirlo, Ricardo Quaresma, Jose Antonio Reyes and Rafael van der Vaart have more than just football in common. They may be highly regarded international players of Italy, Portugal, Spain and Holland respectively but they are also boasting Romani heritage.
Football and Roma are more often discussed together with reference to right-wing hooligans in Eastern Europe and their tirades against Roma communities. However, the Roma connection with football is something which should be celebrated and can act as an inspiration to many young Roma.

Modern Roma footballing talents have graced the greatest stadia in the world, from the Nou Camp in Barcelona to the San Siro in Milan and the above quartet were selected as, among current Romani players, they have had the most illustrious and successful careers.

Each player’s career to date will be profiled before we ask the big question: Who is the greatest Roma footballer of all time?

Read more on http://romediafoundation.wordpress.com/2012/01/27/roma-an...

GRAZIE

Da Roma_Francais

 france3.fr Val-de Marne: una casa per i Rom - Par Christian MEYZE/AFP

La città di Orly ed il dipartimento Val-de-Marne provano a sedentarizzare i Rom

Integrare e sedentarizzare invece di espellere: il dipartimento Val-de-Marne finanzia a Orly case prefabbricate per 17 famiglie rom, su un terreno prestato dalla città.

LEGGI TUTTO QUI: http://www.sivola.net/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=4962

GRAZIE

Da Bulgarian_Roma

 FOCUS Information Agency (Picture: FOCUS News Agency)

Sofia, 23/01/2012 - Il 23% della forza lavoro è di origine rom, secondo i dati della Banca Mondiale. Siamo fortemente convinti che sia economicamente intelligente investire nell'istruzione e inclusione dei Rom, ha detto Philippe le Houérou, vice presidente della Banca Mondiale per Europa ed Asia Centrale, durante una conferenza a Sofia sull'integrazione rom, è quanto riporta FOCUS News Agency.

Si è congratulato con il governo bulgaro per la sua strategia nazionale. L'ha descritta come un segnale di impegno molto forte.

L'ambasciatore danese Kaare Janson ha detto che la questione dell'integrazione rom è importante tanto per la Bulgaria che per l'Europa.

La Bulgari potrebbe essere un esempio con i suoi cambiamenti, ha detto l'ambasciatore, aggiungendo che molti paesi non hanno ancora elaborato strumenti per l'integrazione dei Rom.

Veselina YORDANOVA

Da Bulgarian_Rom

 Radio Bulgaria C'è discriminazione nel mercato del lavoro bulgaro? Author: Milka Dimitrova

LEGGI TUTTO QUI: http://www.sivola.net/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=4965

VEDI ANCHE:

Il 23% della forza lavoro è di origine rom, secondo i dati della Banca Mondiale....

Il 23% della forza lavoro è di origine rom, secondo i dati della Banca Mondiale. Siamo fortemente convinti che sia economicamente intelligente investire nell'istruzione e inclusione dei Rom, ha detto Philippe le Houérou, vice presidente della Banca Mondiale per Europa ed Asia Centrale, durante una conferenza a Sofia sull'integrazione rom, è quanto riporta FOCUS News Agency.


Bulgaria
networkedblogs.com
Da Bulgarian_Roma FOCUS Information Agency (Picture: FOCUS News Agency) Sofia, 23/01/2012 - Il 23% della forza lavoro è di origine rom, secondo i dati della Banca Mondiale. Siamo fortemente convinti che sia economicamente intelligente investire nell'istruzione e inclusione dei Rom, ha detto P

GRAZIE

 per principianti e di perfezionamento
La nuova sede dei CORSI DI FISARMONICA del maestro Jovica Jovic
"SUONI SONORI", via Curtatone 12, Milano (MM3 Porta Romana/Crocetta)

leggi tutto qui: http://www.sivola.net/dblog/articolo.asp?articolo=4964

grazie

Second chance for Roma children in Poljice

Story on bringing Roma children back to school in Poljice, North East Bosnia

By Aida Sunje, World Vision BiH Communications

24/01/2012 – At age 11, Enis left school and never enrolled again. This 14-year-old boy now spends his days collecting waste materials with his father. It is difficult work and Enis’ hands are already hands of a grown man. He wishes he could go to school sometimes.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) where many Roma children are subjected to child labour, from collecting waste materials to street begging and even prostitution, World Vision is striving to bring these children back to where they belong – in school.

Through a two-year project called “Back to School: Second Chance for Roma Children in Poljice Community” conducted at the Poljice Primary school in Ozren Area Development Programme (ADP) in northeast Bosnia, World Vision is empowering Roma children to integrate into school and wider community life.

In school, World Vision organises weekly educational and creative workshops for Roma children in order to bring these children back into the fold of schooling. “Currently, we have 18 Roma children who participate in our weekly workshops where we try to teach them new things and bring them to school,” says Edin Suljagic, World Vision BiH Community Development Coordinator.

The Roma community in Poljice, where Enis lives, is remote and isolated from the wider community. People here live in small improvised houses without running water and with shared community water taps outside their homes. Sadly even this water is sub-standard because of the pollution omitted from the nearby waste dump.

In this community, children are often the main breadwinners in their families and are exposed to three of four vulnerability factors as per World Vision’s definition: abusive or exploitative relationships, extreme deprivation and serious discrimination. Out of 53 children in this village, only 15 are attending preschool or primary and high school. On a national level, only one third of Roma children are enrolled in primary school.

World Vision’s “Back to school” project, supported by World Vision Korea and partners from the Primary School Poljice, Roma Association Poljice, Youth Association Poljice and Pinkland Banovici is trying to change this.

Workshops kicked off in October this year and children are keen to attend every session. Enis has missed only one. During the workshops children sing, paint and learn.

The youngest among the children are five years old and they are helped by the older children.

“It is important to start while the children are young so that they get used to going to school from an early age,” says Suljagic.

When asked about the future, Enis says that he would like to learn English and computers. He misses school and would like to attend it sometimes. But, he also often mentions his cousins in Western Europe. His wish is to go to Europe to work- Sweden particularly.

He already has a passport.

Link: http://www.worldvision.ba/en/page.php?id=114

Brussels to monitor the implementation of the Roma integration strategy in Bulgaria

Sofia, 24/01/2012 – The European Commission would keep a close watch on the application of the National Strategy for Integration of Roma in Bulgaria (2012-2020) in Bulgaria, Philippe Hatt, head of Head of Unit F 5 (Romania, Bulgaria, Malta) in DG Employment, said. Hatt took part in a Roma Integration Strategy Conference, held Monday in Sofia. In his words, EC would in mid-2012 report on the first integrations results to the European Parliament. The Strategy envisages a series of education and economic initiatives, meant to boost the minority’s living standards. Hatt also expressed hopes the Strategy would not remain only on paper. Trud daily reports.

Link: http://www.focus-fen.net/?id=n269314

grazie

Another town to introduce Romani police assistants

Sokolov, West Bohemia, 26/01/2012 – Romany assistants will help the local police mainly in the communication with people from troublesome localities as of the spring, Sokolov Mayor Zdenek Berka told CTK yesterday.

The local police were inspired by the experience in Decin, north Bohemia, where similar assistants have scored good results, Berka said.

The town police are to be helped by four assistants, he added.

“They will be employees of the municipal police, but will not serve as regular police officers. This means that they will have neither the relevant equipment nor powers. But they will help,” Berka said.

Last November, the town hall invited representatives of the Romany community for talks at which the introduction of the assistants that are to prevent crime was one of the measures on which the two sides agreed.

An Interior Ministry subsidy will help their integration into the municipal police, Berka said.

In all, the costs of the new posts are to reach some 738,000 crowns, he added.

“Salaries will be the biggest part of the costs. The town will bear some 10 percent of them,” Berka said.

As the assistants will not have the powers of regular municipal police, they do not have to comply with the strict conditions to enter the corps.

However, they must have a clean criminal record.

“We have singled out some 16 persons from the Romany community. After the subsidy is confirmed, the commander of the municipal police will select the right candidates,” Barta said.

Town residents say they do not feel safe in the troublesome localities of the town.

The assistants are to use their authority and convince the troublesome locals not to make any problems.

The Romany assistants are to work with the municipal police for some ten months. If they prove useful, their careers may continue, Barta said.

Crime has been rising lately in some towns in northern and western Bohemian towns, with tense relations between the majority population and Romanies. Local residents blame Romanies for crime, mainly frequent thefts and assaults.

($1 = 19.597 crowns)

Link: http://praguemonitor.com/2012/01/27/another-town-introduce-romani-police-assistants

grazie

Hungary’s Roma clash with rightwing paramilitary group – video

27/01/2012 – In 2011, members of a uniformed and armed rightwing paramilitary group moved into Gyöngyöspata, a small Hungarian village, ostensibly as a ‘neighbourhood watch patrol’. The village’s 450 Roma claim the real motive was to terrorise and drive out their community. The Hungarian Civil Liberties Union filmed the rise of the far-right Jobbik party, the group’s political wing

Watch a longer version of this video on YouTube

Link: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2012/jan/27/hungary...

grazie

Segnalazione di Alberto Maria Melis

...I Rom caramizari erano produttori di mattoni, oggi rincorrono la sopravvivenza tra i cassonetti delle nostre città...