ABSTRACT This study aimed to examine the effects of the Music and Creative Drama-Based Early Literacy Education Program on the early literacy skills of Roma children aged 4–5 years. A total of twenty-two Roma children, residing in a specific neighbourhood, were included in the study. Data were collected using the Child-Family Demographic Information Form, the Gazi Early Childhood Development Assessment Tool, and the Early Literacy Skills Assessment Tool. Following the pre-test assessments, the Music and Creative Drama-Based Early Literacy Education Program, developed by the researcher, was implemented with the participating Roma children over a period of 10 weeks, with three sessions per week. As a result, the programme was found to positively influence the children’s early literacy skills, including phonological awareness, print awareness, pre-writing skills, alphabet and letter knowledge, verbal language, and vocabulary development.

This paper examines the protection of human rights under the ECHR in the Czech Republic, emphasizing the historical evolution of human rights protection in the territory of the present-day Czech Republic, constitutional aspects of the application of the ECHR, the nation’s relationship with the Council of Europe (CoE) and landmark cases involving the Czech Republic before the ECtHR. Czechoslovakia was the first post-communist country that ratified the ECHR. However, the process of readmission of the independent Czech Republic to the Council of Europe after the dissolution of Czechoslovakia and the subsequent retroactive binding of the ECHR on the Czech Republic has been associated with several problematic issues from the perspective of public international law doctrine. This article points out that this retroactive application of the ECHR effectively violated Art. 59 (1) of the ECHR [former Art. 66 (1)], which provides that the ECHR shall be open to the signature of the members of the Council of Europe only. The paper also discusses in more detail a position of the ECHR in the Czech legal order and, above all, the constitutional background to its application. It draws attention to the problematic jurisprudence of the Czech Constitutional Court, according to which human rights treaties, including the ECHR, are not only part of the Czech legal order, but even of the “constitutional order”. This conclusion is contrary to Article 10 and Article 112(1) of the Czech Constitution. Landmark cases involving the Czech Republic before ECtHR reveal its evolving legal landscape. Notable cases include D.H. and Others v. Czech Republic, concerning alleged discrimination against Roma children in education. It is one of the first cases ever decided (not unanimously) by the Grand Chamber.

In this study, we analyze the hardships and absenteeism levels of Roma children during their educational lives. Based on this analysis, we would like to find out the current integration problems and the factors with a more intensely negative impact. Each phenomenon that plays a key role in this process has been analyzed, and its favorable and unfavorable effects have been assessed. By examining the research results, the aim is to highlight unresolved issues that require further attention and possible solutions to advance children’s educational experiences. Roma children face numerous problems in daily life and in the process of integration into education, such as having to struggle with discrimination, feeling alienated due to cultural incompatibilities, and having difficulties in accessing the education system due to unemployment or the limited income levels of Roma families. Field research in six Turkish provinces (Erzurum, Samsun, Konya, İstanbul Ataşehir, İzmir Bergama, and Hatay) revealed that most Roma children are unable to attend school owing to financial constraints and prefer to work to assist their families (Ertan, 2011: 65). According to the FRA report (2021: 16), an analysis of the school absenteeism of Roma children in European countries indicates that 70 percent of them still drop out of school at a very early age. In this study, comprehensive field research was conducted by interviewing 20 parents in Timişoara, Romania, and 20 parents in Adana and Izmir, Turkey, to examine the subject in greater depth.

This article investigates the role of inclusion in kindergarten education through qualitative interviews with kindergarten teachers and parents. Drawing on the sociological work of Zsuzsa Ferge, we examine how kindergarten institutions contribute to the reproduction of social boundaries along ethnic and class lines. Our analysis focuses on how inclusion is understood and enacted in everyday pedagogical practice, and how institutional narratives and routines participate in shaping distinctions between social groups. Complementing Norbert Elias’s theory about the process of civilization, Bourdieu’s concept of symbolic violence provides a central analytical lens to reveal the subtle and often invisible mechanisms through which power operates in early childhood education. As a second interpretive framework, Michael Lipsky’s notion of street-level bureaucracy enables us to distinguish between the formal, colourblind discourse of “integration” and the more personal, often contradictory, voices of kindergarten teachers. Through this dual framework, we demonstrate how institutional practices and professional narratives, while framed as inclusive, often reproduce hierarchical relations and cultural otherings. Our findings suggest that the rhetoric of inclusion, rather than dismantling social inequalities, contributes to the re-ethnicization of Roma children and their families. In this way, the study highlights the ambivalent role of early childhood education as both a site of care and a mechanism for the subtle reproduction of social and ethnic boundaries.

The purpose of this study was to compare selected iron markers (serum iron, total iron-binding capacity (TIBC), transferrin and ferritin concentration, transferrin saturation, and free haemoglobin) in children from marginalised Roma communities (MRCs) with children from the majority population and explore their associations with diet composition. We obtained cross-sectional data (questionnaires, blood samples from children) from 119 mother-child dyads from MRCs and the majority population. Group differences were tested using Chi-square and Mann-Whitney U tests. Associations of belonging to MRCs and diet with iron markers (transferrin, ferritin, TIBC, serum iron, transferrin saturation) were examined using bootstrapped linear regression models, and mediation analyses assessed whether eating habits mediated group differences. Statistically significant differences between children from MRCs, and the majority were found in serum transferrin, ferritin, and TIBC levels. The more frequent consumption of sweetened drinks, sweets, and salty snacks is associated with lower levels of transferrin, and more frequent consumption of dairy products is associated with higher levels of total iron-binding capacity. Current breastfeeding was found to be negatively associated with ferritin. Consumption of sweets and salty snacks partially mediates the differences in transferrin between children from MRCs and the majority. Our findings suggest that the observed low ferritin levels, elevated TIBC, and reduced transferrin saturation in Roma children are likely indicative of early-stage iron deficiency, potentially driven by underlying malnutrition. This study underscores the significant disparities in iron metabolism between children from MRCs and those from the majority population, primarily driven by social determinants of health, including diet composition.

According to UNICEF data from 2019, among the general population of married women in Serbia aged 20 to 49 or those in a common-law marriage, 7.9 % entered their first union before the age of 18. Among their peers from Roma communities, this percentage is as high as 57.2 % (UNICEF, 2020:396). Click or tap here to enter text.Marriage among adolescent girls and boys, who are physically and psychosocially immature, uneducated, and economically dependent, can no longer be justified by the specific customs and traditions of a community. Understanding and combating this cultural practice requires an explicit public articulation of its harmful nature, particularly because this practice is forbidden by the Serbian legislative system and violates universal human rights. The persistence of the practice of early marriage of Roma girls in the twenty-first century, a phenomenon with multiple harmful consequences for the Roma population, only confirms its complex and multidimensional nature and the necessity of considering it in interaction with numerous social factors, such as poverty, unemployment, education, social norms, customs, and gender roles in the community, lack of efficiency among institutions and policy instruments, etc. This paper offers the concept of a marginalized environment as an explanatory framework within which the practice of child marriage among the Roma in Serbia has been functioning and perpetuated (UNICEF, 2017). By means of measures aimed at protecting Roma children from all forms of neglect, violence, and abuse (formulating and implementing appropriate legal solutions, raising social awareness, and providing alternatives to at-risk children and their families), state authorities would significantly contribute to reducing existing prejudices against the Roma and empowering members of the Roma community in Serbia for more successful inclusion into Serbian society.

Forged in fires: notes on adaptive intelligence among Roma children in the "Terra dei Fuochi"

ABSTRACT Introduction: The Roma minority in Poland has been struggling with systemic educational exclusion for years, which affects their social and economic situation as well as their mental health. This article analyzes three key systemic issues in the Polish education system concerning Roma children: overrepresentation in special schools, a shortage of Roma education assistants, and a high dropout rate after primary school. Methodology and results: Based on data from the Educational Information System (SIO) and scientific research, the article highlights the mismatch of diagnostic tests to the linguistic and cultural needs of Roma children, leading to misdiagnoses and stigmatization. There are significant differences in the percentage of Roma children in special schools between Polish provinces. The lack of support from Roma education assistants and insufficient promotion of education within the Roma community exacerbate the problem. Discussion: The article provides recommendations for implementing tailored diagnostic tests, increasing the number of Roma education assistants, organizing anti-discrimination training, and supporting programs to guide Roma children in choosing educational paths. It emphasizes the importance of inclusive education in improving the mental well-being of Roma children and calls for collaboration among state institutions, NGOs, and the Roma community. Implementing these actions could reduce educational inequalities, enhance social integration, and support the Roma minority in Poland.

Between 2017-2020 I was a member in the project called „Opportunity Maker Kindergarten” (EFOP-3.1.3-16-2016-00001). It was organised by the National Educational Office. The purpose of this project is helping and supporting the kindergartens which are teaching and educating lots of disadvantaged (and roma) children. There was an important part of this work: taking an ability measurement by the kindergarten teachers. It was a special measurement, because we collected their judgements of some statement. In the study, we looked at children aged 5-7 years. In this study, we focus on an important aspect of the survey, namely the examination of motor skills. We obtained results in five categories (1, spatial orientation and movement coordination, 2, body awareness, sense of balance, 3, physical fitness, 4, reaction speed, 5, fine motor skills), with five dimensions per category (except for the body awareness category), from the kindergartens participating in the project in the three selected counties.In the overall survey, kindergartens provided information on a total of 1,112 children, with the following numbers of responses in the three counties analysed: 259 in Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, 178 in Hajdú-Bihar and 271 in Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. No significant difference was observed in the results: only a few percent difference can be detected in the sample.

ABSTRACT Across Europe, anti-Roma sentiments and practices in education have hindered the inclusion of Roma people. Using the theoretical lens of culturally responsive teaching, this study examined Bulgarian teachers’ cultural awareness and the pedagogical strategies they employ to support Roma students. Interview data from 14 teachers were conducted at two high schools with predominantly Roma student populations. The analysis revealed that teachers believed in the importance of continuously building cultural awareness through learning about the unique culture and experiences of Roma students and through building trusting relationships with students and their families. The educators reported gaining cultural knowledge through their own research and highlighted the lack of formal culturally responsive teacher training. Teachers acknowledged the negative impact of poverty and discrimination on Roma children’s academic success but failed to build critical consciousness that recognises the harmful effect of school segregation. The study makes implications for the need to support educators in post-socialist contexts to engage in critical self-reflection to challenge existing dominant discourses and power relations which may limit teachers’ views of Roma communities.

The goal. The paper presents research findings from a small study with Roma (Gypsy) children living in a small village in Southeast Bulgaria. Methods. Two groups of preschool Roma children (between 4-5 years old and 5-6 years old, 10 children in each group in total 20 children) were tested with a test, specially designed for testing Roma children’s knowledge of some grammatical categories in their mother tongue. All children were attending kindergarten, where they learn the official language of the country- Bulgarian, but there are no any lessons in their mother tongue Romani. The children are tested individually for measurement of their knowledge on Romani multiple wh-questions, long distance wh-questions, passive verbs, possessiveness, tense and aspect of the verb. Results. The results show that some grammatical categories such as multiple wh-questions, long distance wh-questions and possessiveness, are acquired between the age of 4-5 years old, but other categories are more difficult for children and they are acquired between the age of 5-6 years old: passive verbs, tense and aspect of the verb. Conclusions. These types of studies are important because they show that although Roma children may live in a small village, they have normal development of their mother tongue and they learn the grammatical categories in the same way as the Roma children resident in big towns and cities.

The aim of this study is to document caries status and assess the oral hygiene and periodontal health of Roma children in Thessaloniki-Greece, as well as explore correlations with dental behavior and perceptions. All Roma children attending primary schools in a designated Roma community area of Thessaloniki were examined (n = 135). Oral hygiene was evaluated using simplified debris index (DI-S) and simplified calculus index (CI-S), periodontal health was evaluated using the community periodontal index (CPI), and dental caries status was assessed based on ICDAS II criteria. Questionnaires assessed dental behavior and perceptions. Approximately 3.7% of individuals were caries-free, whereas 83.0% required restorative treatment. Calculus was found in 54.1% of subjects, and 33% presented with bleeding. A significant 51.9% have never visited a dentist and 40.7% seek dental care only in emergencies. Despite over half (51.1%) expressing dissatisfaction with their dental hygiene, 41.5% reported they rarely brush, 3% used dental floss, and 4.4% used fluoride mouthwash. Furthermore, 10.3% of the subjects reported smoking and 8.9% admitted to alcohol consumption. The findings indicate the need to enhance Roma children's oral health awareness and access to dental care. Evaluating the oral health of Roma children identifies unmet needs in a vulnerable group. It enables targeted prevention and treatment strategies. This promotes better overall health and supports equitable healthcare planning and policy development. How to cite this article: Zarkadi AE, Balli D, Athanasiadou P, et al. Oral Health of Roma Children in Dendropotamos, Greece: A Cross-sectional Study. J Contemp Dent Pract 2025;26(4):348-355.

This article focuses on the key international legal mechanism used by Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) – that of State reporting – to highlight the barriers that Traveller children, Roma children, migrant, refugee and asylum-seeking children, and children with special educational needs and disabilities experience in accessing education in Europe. Drawing on the vast array of documentation submitted to the various United Nations (UN) treaty bodies and the Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodical Review, the article shows that NGOs – through their research, monitoring and reporting – provide a deeper understanding of how education reinforces hierarchies, and that these ‘on-the-ground’ perspectives challenge governments and policy-makers to ensure that quality education is accessible, without discrimination, to all members of European society. The article also demonstrates the crucial role that NGOs play within the UN Human Rights State reporting mechanisms in documenting the relationships between access to education, poverty , discrimination, and the human rights of these four groups of disadvantaged learners.

The Roma children in Europe face discrimination because of their limited knowledge of the official language of the country where they live. However, the amount of research on their mother tongue knowledge is very limited. There are no standardized tests on Romani. The present study here is an attempt to develop a test in Romani language - the mother tongue of Roma children in order to test their knowledge in their mother tongue. The paper presents results from research conducted among preschool Roma children from Zagreb, Croatia. The children are involved in a community preschool center where they learn Croatian and get prepared for primary school education. 30 Roma children (n = 18 girls and n = 12 boys) between 3-6 years old are tested with a test in Romani language (Kyuchukov and de Villiers, 2014). The test measures the knowledge of the children on different grammatical categories from Romani. The goal of the study is to show how much Roma children know from the grammar of their mother tongue. For this purpose the children are tested with specially designed tests. The children involved in the study are tested individually in the rooms of the community center. The results are compared by age and gender. The children show different levels of knowledge of Romani grammatical categories based on their gender. The boys have higher knowledge which is statistically significant (ANOVA) than the knowledge of the girls. The knowledge on the grammatical categories relates to the performance of the Theory of Mind test in Romani. The older children are better performing the Theory of Mind tests and the boys show better performance of the “mis displacement” False belief task. The article answers the question: “Why are boys better in Romani than the girls?” The paper brings new knowledge for preschool educators. Bilingual children in some cultures have different knowledge of their mother tongue and they perform the Theory of Mind tasks differently, based on their gender. These kinds of studies are important for the practice, because they suggest different approaches to language education between boys and girls.

To investigate the nutritional status of Roma children attending middle school, evaluate their energy and nutrient intake with anthropometric measurements, and identify factors affecting their nutrition status. This cross-sectional study was conducted between December 2019 and March 2020 with 94 students. The sociodemographic characteristics of the participant children and their parents were evaluated using a questionnaire. Energy and nutrient intakes were determined based on food consumption records taken over two days (one weekday and one weekend day) and evaluated according to the recommendations of the Turkish Dietary Guideline (TUBER). Anthropometric measurements and bioelectrical impedance analyses were undertaken. Physical activity characteristics and levels were also determined. It was determined that 92.6% of the Roma children had a height-for-age z-score within the normal range, and 59.6% had a body mass index-for-age z-score within the normal range. When their physical activity levels (PALs) were evaluated, 52.1% were underactive, and the PAL value was higher in the boys than in the girls (p<0.05). The daily fat intake of the girls was higher than that of the boys (p<0.05). Daily macronutrient intake met the TUBER recommendations. However, vitamin D (24.1%), potassium (39.1%), and calcium (62.5%) intakes did not meet the recommendations. This study showed that Roma children had low PALs and were undernourished in terms of some nutrients.

The population of Roma children is an especially vulnerable social group, experiencing a greater prevalence of health risk factors and presenting poor vaccination rates.

ABSTRACTImproving children's health and development in their early years is important, urgent and, cost‐effective. But it's difficult to do. Using an example from Bradford in the UK we argue that integration, innovation and community engagement are key. Long‐term funding also helps. Problems with multiple causes need “whole system” responses. This includes integration of research, commissioning and service delivery. We test innovations, learn about how they are received, modify them and test again. A dynamic research programme starts with innovations that are “science‐based”—things the literature suggests might work—and then evaluates them. Science‐based approaches may translate into being “evidence‐based”. If a community is not ready for an intervention what needs to be put in place to enhance that readiness? We use two examples of using the Community Readiness Model. For obesity interventions in Roma children the model underlines the need to build trust. For interventions targeting social and emotional health, service planners need to explain what they are seeking to do and why it might be valuable. If the community is on‐board, the professionals work together and there is security in broad‐based long‐term funding our “collabatory” approach just might change bringing up children in this city.

ABSTRACT The value that policymakers and the community assign to children’s leisure spaces decreases significantly, transforming these spaces into urban grey areas. Meanwhile, concerns regarding the safety of children in leisure spaces increase. These problems are more complex among children from marginalised communities. In this post-qualitative inquiry, we analysed the everyday, leisure experiences of Roma children from a safety perspective. We adopted a post-qualitative inquiry to explore non-human elements and the relationship between spaces, people and materials from a post-structuralist perspective. We gathered information through photovoice techniques, discussion circles and narratives by Roma children for three months in the northwest of Türkiye. Our study highlights how leisure spaces are interlinked with crime scenes and pollution. We argue that children in polluted leisure spaces manage or normalise physical unsafety to some extent. However, they find it challenging to deal with emotional unsafety, which is influenced by adult-related factors, such as drug-trafficking. In this inquiry, we explore the theoretical and practical implications of leisure in polluted environments as perceived by Roma children. Greyness, both symbolic and material, manifests here through the lenses of social and environmental ambiguities, contradictions and the paradoxes that Roma children experience as urban leisure in their neighbourhoods.

Housing Instability and Roma Children’s Educational Engagement: Perspectives from Teachers and Volunteers

High rates of childhood neurodisability are reported among the Roma, Europe’s largest ethnic minority community. Interventions targeting early child development (ECD) during the first 2 years of life can improve neurodevelopmental outcomes in vulnerable children; however, evidence from Roma preschoolers is scarce. In a quasi-experimental observational study, we compared neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 2 years, measured on the INTERGROWTH-21st Project Neurodevelopmental Assessment (INTER-NDA), between Roma children receiving a community-based ECD intervention (RI, n = 98), and age- and sex-matched Roma and non-Roma children (RC, n = 99 and NRC, n = 54, respectively) who did not receive the intervention in Eastern Slovakia. The intervention was delivered between 3 weeks and 20 months in weekly home-based sessions by trained Roma women from matched settlements to RIs. Compared with RC, RI had higher 2-year cognitive (B = 0.15; 95% CI, 0.04, 0.25), language (B = 0.25; 95% CI, 0.11, 0.38) and fine motor (B = 0.08; 95% CI, 0.01, 0.16) scores. After adjustment for covariates, cognitive delay decreased by 88% in RI compared with RC (aOR, 0.12; 95% CI, 0.03, 0.53). Linear growth at 24 months was a key predictor of developmental scores for both groups (range, B = 0.04–0.14; 95% CI, 0.01, 0.07 and 0.09, 0.20).Conclusions: Our results highlight that, without directly intervening on nutritional and poverty status, a community-based ECD intervention, delivered by trained Roma women to Roma children, can significantly improve neurodevelopmental outcomes at age 2 years.What is Known:• The Roma are Europe’s largest ethnic minority. High rates of neurodisability, malnutrition and poverty are reported in Roma preschoolers.• Optimal early child development (ECD) is foundational to lifecourse health and wellbeing. Early interventions improve ECD outcomes in vulnerable children; however, evidence from Roma communities is limited.What is New:• The Omama project is a community-based ECD intervention, delivered by trained Roma women to Roma children aged 3 weeks to 20 months living in impoverished settlements in Eastern Slovakia.• Roma children receiving the intervention had (i) higher cognitive, language and fine motor scores and (ii) lower rates of cognitive delay compared with controls.