13/11/2009 - Wiener Zeitung / Österreich  

 "Racism Against Romany Becoming 'Worse and Worse'"

Vienna - At an international conference in the Vienna Hofburg, harsh criticism was voiced about the treatment of Romany within the EU states. Representatives of the OSCE, the Council of Europe and the EU Agency for Basic Right (FRA) made many demands of the governments of member states to stop the discrimination, segregation and racism against the Romany.

"We have a real problem with racism - and it is getting worse and worse," warned Thomas Hammarberg, the Council of Europe's human rights commissioner. It was tolerated that the Romany became "the doormats of our society" and that racist remarks by politicians are simply accepted as such. "The heads of government must finally take this problem seriously. Romany are being discriminated, although they are also EU citizens."

Worsening anti-gypsy discrimination will come under the microscope next month in a television debate organised by the Council of Europe.

VIENNA (AP) - Roma face widespread discrimination when they migrate throughout Europe in search of a better life and governments are failing to address the problem, human rights experts said Monday, 9 Nov 2009.

Often referred to as Gypsies, Roma are an ethnic group that has traditionally lived mostly in southern and eastern Europe. Besides a lack of access to housing, social services and education, they often do not have the identity papers needed to get decent jobs and are seen as criminals.

"We have allowed the Roma population to be scapegoats in our own societies -- an underclass," said Thomas Hammarberg, commissioner for human rights at the Council of Europe. "The leaders of governments must begin to take this problem seriously because this is hypocrisy when it comes to human rights."

Hammarberg and other experts spoke to reporters on the sidelines of a conference in the Austrian capital about Roma migration and freedom of movement.

Balkan Sunflowers and Romawood Production are showcasing films made by and about Roma in Pristina, from 19 to 21 October 2009

One goal of the Decade of Roma Inclusion 2005-2015, Dosta! campaign and many important initiatives by the Council of Europe, the Soros foundations, and others is to counter one-dimensional stereotypes of “Gypsies” in the media, presenting a richer and more complete picture of the Roma, in their families, work, art, and the diverse countries where the rolling of their wheel has taken them. The Rolling Film Festival is a contribution to this goal.

Human rights campaigners have called on doctors to stop the “forced sterilisation”of Roma women during an address to a medical conference in South Africa.

The Council of Europe’s team of experts used the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) conference, in Cape Town from 4-9 October, to demand from doctors higher ethical standards and a greater respect for human rights.

“The right to bodily integrity is a fundamental human right,” said Christina Zampas, a Council of Europe consultant and senior legal adviser for Europe to the Center for Reproductive Rights.

“There are doctors who are doing this who may have underlying racist attitudes. We want doctors to understand that this is illegal and discriminatory.”

By Gwendolyn Albert, Director, Women’s Initiatives, Peacework Development Fund and Dr Peter Hornnes, President, European Board and College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology 

In 2003, the General Assembly of the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics (FIGO) adopted a resolution on “Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Rights - A Social Responsibility for Obstetricians-Gynaecologists”.[1] The resolution called on FIGO Member Societies to “focus their efforts on priority areas in human rights failings identified in their own countries, where advocacy efforts by gynaecologists and obstetricians, in collaboration with other civil society groups, can have an impact on women’s health.” 

The Dosta! campaign is inviting schools from Ukraine and Moldova to participate in a competition called “Music against stereotypes” : set your mind in motion and make a creative song (music & lyrics) breaking down stereotypes and prejudices against Roma.

The School Music competition aims to promote successful songs, by giving visibility to the work of the selected participants through the Dosta! campaign website.

A jury composed of Council of Europe/European Commission and Roma experts in the field will select the best songs. Contributions will be judged according to their creativity and originality, as well as their capacity to convey the Dosta! campaign messages.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all schools in Moldova and Ukraine.

Awards

The jury will award the two best songs. The winners will be invited to a Festival “Youth and Art against prejudices” to take place before the summer.

Strasbourg, 17.12.2008 – The “Dosta! - Congress Prize for Municipalities” for 2008 has been awarded to four cities, as part of the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities’ contribution to the Dosta! Campaign. The Prize, established in 2007, rewards municipalities which are distinguished for their participatory and innovative work in combating anti-Gypsyism and promoting the inclusion of Roma in political and social life.

The jury, composed of personalities from the Council of Europe, the European Union and the European Roma and Travellers Forum, has examined 26 applications from Western and Eastern European countries. Speaking at the close of the deliberations, the co-Presidents of the jury – Yavuz Mildon, President of the Congress and Henry Scicluna, Council of Europe Co-ordinator for Roma Issues – expressed the jury’s common appreciation, stressing that “much as in 2007, we all were particularly impressed with the quality of the projects sent in.”