The influence of the EU-negotiation process on the socio-economic position of the Roma in Slovakia
The enlargement of the European Union on 1 May 2004, with mainly Central and Eastern European countries, was the first in which human and minority rights were included in the accession criteria. The protection of minority rights as a condition for EU-membership seemed promising for the large Romani minority in Slovakia. During the negotiation process in particular, the European Union had the opportunity to influence the socio-economic position of the Roma in Slovakia using possible EU-membership as a carrot.
Read more
The Political Representation of the Roma Minority in Bulgaria: (1990-2005)
The debate over the proper form of minority rights in the post-communist world has intensified significantly over the last decade. The representation of ethnic minorities in the political process is one of the components of minority protection. Minority representation can take various and diverse forms. Minorities can have their own representatives in the legislative institutions at both national and regional level; they can have minority �??experts�?� in various consultative bodies to the government; alternatively, minorities can also be given a right to self-government. Achieving legislative representation can also be done in several ways �?? minorities can participate in the political process through non-minority specific parties or they can try to form their own parties and achieve representation along ethnic lines.
Read more
CoE FCNM: Advisory Committee visits Sweden
STRASBOURG 7.5.2007 - A delegation of the Advisory Committee on the Council of Europe�??s Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities was visiting Sweden on 7 - 10 May 2007 in the context of the monitoring of the implementation of this convention in Sweden. The visit was the 22nd country visit conducted by the Advisory Committee in the second cycle of monitoring. The Committee was composed of 18 independent experts elected by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Sweden submitted its second state report under the Framework Convention in July 2006, and the delegation of the Advisory Committee will be in Sweden in order to seek further information. On the basis of this and other information, the Advisory Committee will subsequently adopt an opinion on how Sweden has implemented the various articles of the Framework Convention.
The delegation consisted of Ms Marju LAURISTIN, Member of the Advisory Committee elected in respect of Estonia, Mr. Francesco PALERMO, Member of the Advisory Committee elected in respect of Italy, and Mr. Antti KORKEAKIVI of the Secretariat of the Framework Convention.
www.coe.int/minorities
Group of Women Harmed by Sterilization launches exhibition at the Council of Europe
Two members of the Ostrava-based Group of Women Harmed by Sterilization of the civic association Vzájemné soužití (Life Together) are going to take part in the Strasbourg opening of a photographic exhibition entitled The World as Seen by the Victims of Involuntary Sterilization. Gwendolyn Albert, director of the Women�??s Initiatives Network of the Peacework Development Fund, will accompany Helena Baloghová and Elena Gorolová to the 23rd meeting of the Committee of Experts on Roma and Travelers (MG-S-ROM) to be held at the Council of Europe in Strasbourg 21st to 22nd May 2007.
Ms Baloghová and Ms Gorolová will present the Group�??s activities, as well as the issue of involuntary sterilizations in the Czech Republic. �??A woman who cannot give birth no longer perceives herself in the same way as a woman who is able to fulfill her unique, valuable role,�?� says Elena Gorolová, a member of the Group of Women Harmed by Sterilization.
Full article on http://vzajemnesouziti.jbmd.com/en/?What_is_new
Justice Initiative - Activities roundup: February - April 2007
UN Experts Urge States to Ban Ethnic Profiling
A UN body called for a ban on racial profiling by law enforcement, condemning the practice as both ineffective and a human rights violation. The United Nations Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent concluded a weeklong meeting on February 2 with the recommendation that governments �??adopt explicit legislative provisions banning racial profiling.�?� The group heard expert testimony from the Justice Initiative that racial profiling violates human rights norms, seriously damages police relations with minority communities, and alienates people whose cooperation is needed to fight crime and terrorism. The Justice Initiative stressed that racial profiling is an ineffective law enforcement technique that does not reduce crime or increase security.
Click here to read a Reuters article about the group�??s recommendations:
http://194.6.181.127/eng/swissinfo.html?siteSect=105&sid=7492789
Study Tour Looks at Impact of Ethnic Profiling
The Justice Initiative's STEPSS ("Strategies for Effective Police Stop and Search") project organized a study tour on ethnic profiling in April, to examine the impact of police stops and searches on ethnic minorities. The study tour brought together police officers, minority community representatives, and advocates from Bulgaria, Hungary, Spain, and the United Kingdom for a week-long review of existing practices and policies on recording and monitoring stops and searches and determining their disproportionate impact on ethnic minority communities. STEPSS is an innovative project supported by the European Commission's AGIS Programme that addresses ethnic profiling through the improvement of police training, operational and legal guidance, and the supervision of ID checks, stops and searches; the creation of a monitoring system that enhances police management and accountability of stops; an increased capacity of minority communities to participate in dialogue with the police and set local policing priorities; and the generation of replicable models of good practice that can be disseminated regionally.
Click here to read more about the tour: http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=103751
Court Filing Highlights Suffering of Roma in Dorozhnoe
In March, the Justice Initiative filed a supplemental memorandum with the European Court of Human Rights in Bogdonavichus et al. v. Russia, a case challenging the violent and unlawful eviction of six Roma families from their homes in Dorozhnoe Village in Kaliningrad, Russia in June 2006. Based on interviews with clients in Kaliningrad in January 2007, this memorandum informs the Court of the aggravated suffering that the victims endure as a result of the trauma and homelessness caused by their evictions. Most tragically, two victims who brought their claims before the Court died as a result of deteriorated health conditions resulting from the stress of the evictions and the subsequent inhumane conditions they experienced. Forced to find temporary shelter through the winter months, members of all six of the client families have been separated from one another. Furthermore, the memorandum documents that the local government has opened the land of Dorozhnoe Village for development after having razed the Roma settlement that existed there for five decades. Only two houses in the village remained standing as of
January 2007 and both of those were owned by non-Roma, reinforcing the evidence that local authorities were discriminating against the Roma inhabitants of the village in selecting their houses for destruction. The Justice Initiative also filed video evidence, jointly produced with the NGO Witness, documenting house demolitions in Dorozhnoe Village in April and May 2006.
Click here to read more about the case:
http://www.justiceinitiative.org/db/resource2?res_id=103464
The integration of the Roma community in Nieuwegein, the Netherlands: problems and solutions
There are at least around 2000 Roma living the Netherlands (Van Meurs 2002), spread across different communities throughout the country. One community of 200 to 300 people is living in Nieuwegein, a small village of 60.000 inhabitants. Seven or eight families left Yugoslavia in the early 1970s, traveled through Italy, France and Belgium and ended up in the Netherlands. In the late 1970s they received residence certificates provided that they integrated in Dutch society.
Read more
TRAILER rounds up work on Roma rights
European Dialogue has recently completed a two-year project funded by the European Commission�??s Community Action Programme to combat discrimination. The aim of the TRAILER project was to improve the implementation of national anti-discrimination legislation vis-à-vis the EU equality directives.
TRAILER brought together human rights/anti-racist organizations from five European countries, all at different stages of implementing national anti-discrimination legislation. The aim was to improve access to justice and to promote social inclusion for Roma, Romany Gypsies and Travelers.
Activities included training sessions and seminars; monitoring and documentation; legal assistance; litigation; transnational study visits; and implementing local action plans.
European Dialogue has published a final report highlighting the project�??s findings and achievements.
For further information
http://www.europeandialogue.org/ED_PAGES/programmes_roma_trailer.html
New tool to promote Romany culture, language in Europe
London -- British academics on Wednesday launched a new resource for schools across Europe, which they hope will foster greater awareness, understanding and tolerance of the Romany culture and language. The free resource, "Romani: an interactive journey", is a DVD-Rom devoted to the Romany language, which is now the largest minority language in the European Union since Romania and Bulgaria joined the bloc in January this year. The content, which is available in 18 European languages, uses research by the Romani Project at Manchester University, north-west England, with support from the British government-funded Economic and Social Research Council. The New York-based Open Society Institute, founded by the Budapest-born global financier George Soros, has also contributed funding to the DVD, which is being sent to about 5,000 schools and is also available on the Internet. Professor Yaron Matras, project co-ordinator at the Romani Project, said the DVD was the first resource of its kind and would be a "powerful" way of promoting the Romany heritage and language.
"We hope this resource will inspire governments across Europe to acknowledge Romani when they develop their policies in education and culture," he said in a statement. Ginny Harrison White, president of Britain`s National Association of Teachers of Travelers, said the DVD would help tackle prejudices against Gypsy, Roma and traveler pupils. "Gypsy children will be proud of their identity, gain in confidence and their enthusiasm for school will improve," she added.
The European Union has identified that there are more than 60 indigenous regional or minority languages spoken across the bloc, of which Catalan is the largest, with about seven million speakers, mainly in France and Spain. There are thought to be between eight to 12 million people who have Romany heritage in Europe and upwards of four million Romany language speakers. Most are concentrated in south-east Europe, particularly Romania and Bulgaria.
Agence France Presse
Call for Information and Resources to combat Hate Crimes
www.coalitioneurope.org
Coalition Europe, a new platform of European Human Rights NGOS, recently launched a pan-European campaign against Hate Crimes �?? From Hate Crimes to Human Rights and is seeking additional Hate Crimes information for the resources section of our website to assist Hate Crimes victims and NGOs combating hate crimes.
Coalition Europe is seeking for: organizations who combat hate crimes (name, website and contact details), on-line publications on hate crimes (ex. combating hate crimes, hate crimes data collection, victim assistance, training manuals, etc�?�), on-line victim assistance information (ex. Self-help tool kits, hotlines)
Please send any submissions to info@coalitioneurope.org
Coalition Europe�??s website operates in English, French and Spanish. Resource submissions in all other languages are welcome, however; if possible please provide an English translation of all titles for publications and victim assistance information.
Racism and intolerance in Europe: Publication of reports by the European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI)
Strasbourg, 15.05.2007 �?? The Council of Europe Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) will on 24 May publish reports on Azerbaijan, Finland, Ireland and Monaco, as well as its annual report for 2006. On this occasion, the ECRI Chairperson, Eva Smith-Rasmussen (Denmark) will hold a Press Conference on Thursday 24 May 2007 at 11 am at the Council of Europe Paris Office, 55, avenue Kléber, 75016 Paris. Journalists are invited to a cocktail at the end of the press conference.
To confirm your presence or for more information, please contact Henriette Girard (Tel. +33 3 88 41 21 41; Mobile +33 6 75 65 03 39; henriette.girard@coe.int)
www.coe.int/ecri
