|
Brussels, 22 September 2008 - Caritas Europa was represented at the lastest edition of the European Social Forum (Sweden, 17-21 September), where it contributed to a workshop dealing with the need for a real and effective inclusion of the Roma in Europe.
Co-organised with Secours Catholique-Caritas France, Caritas Kosovo, Caritas Italy, and the Roma organisation Amare Rromentza, the session gathered a hundred participants from various countries representing European NGOs working with the delivery of social and legal counsel to Roma.
As a result of the workshop, the participant NGOs pledge to work individually and collectively towards a series of targets divided in three categories.
1. Legal assistance
- Plead for an effective recognition of all human rights to the Roma population
- Support a EU-wide action towards local, national and European institutions to raise awareness on existing discrimination against Roma across Europe
- Support the European Forum for Roma and Travelers in the organisation and coordination of a European Campaign to fight discriminatory practices against Roma
- Work towards a European Directive for the positive discrimination of Roma in Europe and/or set up a European strategy against discriminations, especially against Roma
2. Social support
- Support the emergence of leaders in the Roma communities to facilitate their access to health, education, employment, housing, etc
- Create educational support in schools for the Roma issue and the difficulties they face, and make parents of Roma children aware of the importance of education for their children
- Open the cultural spaces to the Roma culture
3. Advocacy
- Launch an advocacy campaign to promote the positive images and models of the Roma community
- Challenge educational systems in EU Member States to do more promotion of cultural diversity and multiculturalism
- Mobilise civil society to contribute at local, national and European level to an appropriate strategy with the objective to achieve that the Roma issue is taken better into account by all 27 EU governments
The next European Social Forum will take place in Istanbul in the year 2010.
|
|
Roma children participating at a bilingual activity for Roma communities in Romania
Credit: Amare Rromantza
|
Contact:
Geneviève Colas and others - Roma in Europe: for a real and effective integration [fr]
Caritas Europa
| 
| RSS | Subscribe to our Newsletters | Sitemap | Disclaimer