Roma in Europe

Young Adults in Global Mission

The Situation of Roma in Europe

• Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria and Romania have an estimated population of five million Roma.
• One out of every six Roma is “constantly starving”
• More than half the Roma interviewed said they went hungry at least a few days
  every year
• One out of three Roma children failed to complete elementary school.
• One out of every three Roma last had a formal job in 1990
• Only 20% of Roma were found formally employed, another 20% worked in the
  shadow economy
• In some countries, up to 70% of Roma households live on state welfare

More on Roma in Europe
From the Human Rights Watch “Struggling for Ethnic Identity” series:

Since the demise of the Communist regime in Hungary, the country’s Gypsy or Roma population has benefited from the suspension of decades of assimilation, and at times overtly racist, government policy and from an increased tolerance for the expression of Roma identity. However, Romas continue to suffer serious discrimination, and at times violence, at the hands of fellow citizens, and many public officials appear to exhibit the same behavior. In Hungary today, Romas’ living standards are substantially lower than those of the ethnic Hungarian population, primarily because their access to jobs, as well as to housing and education, is to some extent dictated by their ethnicity. A disproportionate number of Romas are unemployed, and many allege that they are the victims of discriminatory labor practices. Conditions in predominately Roma villages can be even worse, as many of them lack basic amenities, such as schools, health facilities and municipal services, that are available in most other areas. Finally, and most serious of all, Romas are more vulnerable than other ethnic groups to violence both by public officials and private citizens. They are increasingly singled out as targets for violence by skinheads and other militant nationalists, and public authorities have not responded adequately, either in apprehending or prosecuting the offenders.