The populations add up to 20 million in Europe. Not only in Turkey or in Eastern Europe, Roma people are discriminated against even in developed Western democracies.
In Turkey, it's mainly their rights to access shelter, justice, education or health services that are violated. They are forced to work on the black market, without any social security or benefits.
Urban reformation projects threaten their livelihoods and without any official residency, Roma children are left out of the educational system. In short, poverty aggravated with deprivation, Roma people suffer from a cycle of prejudices that recreate the very conditions, which deprive them of basic human rights.
A meeting to evaluate the first year of the "Improving the Rights of Roma People in Turkey" project has been held in Istanbul last weekend. European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC), Helsinki Citizens' Assembly (hYd) and Edirne Roma Culture Research Improvement and Solidarity Association (EDROM) co-organize the project.
The final aim of the project is to materialize the discrimination against Roma people and defend their rights against such violations.
On one hand, a field research is conducted regarding the situation of Roma people in the society and on the other hand a legal battle to make the establishment recognize the rights of the Roma is in place.
"We didn't know the ways to defend our rights. Now we gain the ability to report rights violations" said EDROM chair Erdinç Çekiç. "If one doesn't raise up to his/her own problems, all exterior efforts are doomed to rest ineffective".
Coordinator of the field research, Adrian Marsh prefers to call himself a Gipsy as it's more comprehensive a term: "It's important to dispose a sense of self pride; to say 'We can overcome discrimination'".
While the research has still a way to go, Marsh gives out some preliminary results: First of all, Roma are not a heterogeneous group; there's an aspect of multiculturalism among them.
Most Roma in Tukey define themselves above all as "Turks", then as "Muslims" and lastly as Roma/Gypsies. They're reluctant to pursue legal action against rights violations.
There are three different languages used by Gypsies in Turkey. Marsh adds that numerous dialects also exist. Again, while most Gypsies are Sunni Muslims, there exists Alevites, Sufis and Armenian Catholics and Christians.
Despite all clichés about the vocation of Gypsies, the common denominator is poverty, says Marsh. They live under adverse conditions, lack basic hygienic conditions such as access to drinking water.
Because they lack official papers in most cases access to education or health services are jeopardized. Roma women and children can be victims of arbitrary violence.
"It was considered absurd during 90's for a Roma to sue a police officer for bad treatment and than take the case to the European Court of Human Rights" says Saverina Danova.
Since around 500 hundred cases had been launched concerning rights violations both on national and international level. Around 220 of them resulted in favor.(TK/EÜ)