Roma Community Research Articles

How does public policy impact trafficking victimization?: An exact matching study in the EU

Trafficking in human beings (THB) is a widespread, transnational issue in the European Union (EU). Member states act as source, transit, and destination countries for intra-EU trafficking, in addition to being a major destination region for external THB victims. This study presents a new dataset of THB victims observed in each EU member state per year and by type of exploitation going back as far as 2001 and employs exact matching methods to test the link between different prostitution policies and Roma secondary education attainment rates on observed THB victimization. The paper also builds off previous literature to compare how different legal prostitution models and THB supply factors are expected to influence various types of THB. The results indicate that legalized prostitution and lower educational attainment among the Roma community increase observed THB victimization, especially THB for the purpose of sexual exploitation. The paper does not find that the Swedish model significantly increases or decreases observed THB victimization. In demonstrating how matching methods can be utilized to uncover policy patterns in THB outcomes, this study provides a blueprint for how other hidden phenomena, such as corruption or migration, can be robustly and empirically tested.

Strategic Communication in Support of Migrants Integration in Host Communities

International actors, both states and supra-state organizations, face certain challenges in managing the migration phenomenon. Among these challenges, in the present paper, we have chosen to focus on those that may emerge following the relocation itself, starting from the premise that the way in which the integration of migrants takes place within the host community is a decisive factor for the type of effects that can be generated in the security environment. The purpose of the article is to identify the means by which the migration management system can be improved, in order to support states, governments and authorities in their efforts to maintain public order and the state of peace. The analysis of the concept of strategic communication (StratCom) reveals aspects, dimensions, parameters and frameworks that indicate its relevance and usefulness in the smooth development of the process of social integration of emigrants, and the present study is aimed at identifying these characteristics as well as at modelling a StratCom framework that is generally applicable to any scenario, in support of governments, host communities and migrants alike. Finally, we will adapt the general working framework to a specific one, focused on the integration of Ukrainian migrants within the Romanian community, in the context of the Russia-Ukraine conflict near Romania’s borders, given the actual situation that needs to be managed by the Romanian state so that possible tensions between the two social groups can be avoided.

Research With Marginalized Communities: Reflections on Engaging Roma Women in Northern England

This article critically explores research with marginalized communities. We provide an insight into our work with the Roma community, reflecting on innovation, opportunities, and barriers, alongside the need for more work in this area. A particular focus here surrounds novel methodologies for exploring the health and well-being of such groups and ways of co-producing research. This article also raises awareness around arts-based social prescribing with marginalized communities and the need to upscale work in this regard. Through doing so, we hope to influence practice, raise awareness around work with the Roma community and enable more creativity within the broader field.

“¡A QUELAR! Cabanyal Project: Flamenco as a Strategy to Promote the Inclusion

This research explores the potential of flamenco in its contribution to the social inclusion of children and youth of the vulnerable gypsy community. Through the Cartography of Knowledge, we holistically analyze the experience of the ¡A QUELAR! Cabanyal Project in training, artistic immersion, and research on and through flamenco carried out by Cía. Extremus Danza and the Cultural Association La Calle Baila since 2018 in the Cabanyal neighborhood (Valencia, Spain). This study reveals that the inclusion of the Roma community depends to a large extent on the work that must be done with most of the society, unaware of the Roma culture. In addition, it is necessary to introduce aspects of gypsy culture into the Spanish educational system, as is the case with flamenco. Given the lack of studies on flamenco as a tool for social inclusion, this research is relevant for the analysis of one of the pioneering projects in Spain, enabling the replication and scaling of its model and its methodology in educational centers in the Spanish territory to lessen the existing antigypsyism.

Socio-Demographic Correlates of Barriers to Access Healthcare Services among Children in Post-Communist Albania

Access to healthcare services is an essential component of promoting public health and sustainable development. Our aim was to assess socio-demographic correlates of barriers to accessing healthcare services among children in Albania, a post-communist country in Europe. An online survey was conducted in September 2022, including a nationwide representative sample of 7831 school children (≈54% girls) ranging from grades six to nine from all regions of Albania. A structured and anonymous questionnaire was administered to all children inquiring about a range of potential barriers to accessing healthcare services. Overall, about 42% of the children reported that they had barriers to accessing healthcare services. There were no gender differences, but there were significant ethnic differences (51% among Roma/Egyptian children vs. 42% among the general sample of the children); urban/rural differences (46% rural vs. 39% urban); and socio-economic differences (52% among children with a lower maternal education vs. 31% among children with a higher maternal education; 66% among children from poor families vs. 35% among children with a higher family income). In transitional Albania, children residing in rural areas, children from Roma and/or Egyptian communities, and especially those pertinent to low socio-economic families report considerably more barriers to accessing healthcare services, which is a cause of concern.

Livelihood Strategies during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Materially Disadvantaged Roma Communities from Covasna County, Romania

The study aims to analyze the livelihood strategies related to the labour market during the coronavirus pandemic in the context of the material and income situation in Roma communities in a multicultural rural area of Covasna County, Romania. The data source comprises adapted sociological research that was carried out using multiple methods in 2021, in three localities: Boroșneu, Ojdula, and Zăbala in Covasna County, Romania. Of the dimensions examined, housing deprivation, material deprivation, and unemployment were of particular importance. Based on these dimensions, we analyzed the local economic situation and social services; we then developed a typology of dimensions to analyze the livelihood strategies of Roma groups from different socio-economic backgrounds during the coronavirus pandemic. We tried to answer questions about the changes and ways of adaptation in the livelihood strategies of Roma communities to the restrictions that occurred during the coronavirus pandemic in Romania from 2020–2021. The results of the research show that during the period of the COVID-19 pandemic, the material and income situations worsened for people previously employed in the informal labour market, involved in precarious work, and those of very low work intensity in selected rural Roma communities in Covasna County. Neither the regulations and legal measures introduced, nor the social protection system, was sensitive to the needs of the Roma, who were the most vulnerable to the social consequences of the pandemic restrictions.

COVID-19 vaccination decisions among Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller communities: A qualitative study moving beyond “vaccine hesitancy”

BackgroundMany people refuse vaccination and it is important to understand why. Here we explore the experiences of individuals from Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller groups in England to understand how and why they decided to take up or to avoid COVID-19 vaccinations. MethodsWe used a participatory, qualitative design, including wide consultations, in-depth interviews with 45 individuals from Gypsy, Roma, and Traveller, communities (32 female, 13 male), dialogue sessions, and observations, in five locations across England between October 2021 and February 2022. FindingsVaccination decisions overall were affected by distrust of health services and government, which stemmed from prior discrimination and barriers to healthcare which persisted or worsened during the pandemic. We found the situation was not adequately characterised by the standard concept of “vaccine hesitancy”. Most participants had received at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, usually motivated by concerns for their own and others’ health. However, many participants felt coerced into vaccination by medical professionals, employers, and government messaging. Some worried about vaccine safety, for example possible impacts on fertility. Their concerns were inadequately addressed or even dismissed by healthcare staff. InterpretationA standard "vaccine hesitancy" model is of limited use in understanding vaccine uptake in these populations, where authorities and health services have been experienced as untrustworthy in the past (with little improvement during the pandemic). Providing more information may improve vaccine uptake somewhat; however, improved trustworthiness of health services for GRT communities is essential to increase vaccine coverage. FundingThis paper reports on independent research commissioned and funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme. The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, the Department of Health and Social Care or its arm's length bodies, and other Government Departments.

Expanding the Molecular Spectrum of HK1-Related Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease, Type 4G; the First Report in Iran.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4G (CMT4G) was first reported in Balkan Gypsies as a myelinopathy starting with progressive distal lower limb weakness, followed by upper limb involvement and prominent distal sensory impairment later in the patient's life. So far, CMT4G has been only reported in European Roma communities with two founder homozygous variants; g.9712G>C and g.11027G>A, located in the 5'-UTR of the HK1 gene. Here, we present the first Iranian CMT4G patient manifesting progressive distal lower limb weakness from 11 years of age and diagnosed with chronic demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Whole-exome sequencing for this patient revealed a homozygous c.19C>T (p. Arg7*) variant in the HK1 gene. This report expands the mutational spectrum of the HK1-related CMT disorder and provides supporting evidence for the observation of CMT4G outside the Roma population. Interestingly, the same Arg7* variant is recently observed in another unrelated Pakistani CMT patient, proposing a possible prevalence of this variant in the Middle Eastern populations.

Identifying a Human Rights Approach to Roma Health Vulnerabilities and Inequalities in Europe: From Concept to Action.

Roma communities across Europe still remain a neglected population group by way of the social and economic disadvantage that largely characterizes their lives. Roma communities continue to experience structural socioeconomic health inequalities on the grounds of their ethnic origin, alarmingly unveiling a pattern of systematic discrimination and ethnic marginalization. Without any doubt, such a highly worrying situation calls for States to incorporate Roma health rights within their law and policy agendas in a manner consistent with right to health requirements. Against this background, this paper seeks to identify an operational human rights framework for States as a driver for better informed policies and implementation as well as for Roma engagement in the deliberations about their life prospects. The paper argues that continuing, concerted, and proactive State engagement is required for effectively addressing the structural obstacles impeding Roma socioeconomic health rights realization and maximizing Roma opportunities for well-being.

Health of Roma People living in marginalized Communities in Slovakia

Introduction. The biggest Roma communities reside in the eastern part of Slovakia in the regions of Presov and Kosice, whose share is 35-40%. While the atlas of Roma communities from 2019 indicates that about 440,000 Roma live in Slovakia, only 156,000 Roma registered in 2021. Moreover, more than half of them stated Roma nationality only as a second nationality. Due to the fear of discrimination, racism and hate speech 10-15% of Roma did not state their identity because they consider it more advantageous in their efforts to integrate into society. It is also assumed that a significant part of the Roma (12- 15%) living in the south of Slovakia have adopted the Hungarian nationality. Objectives. The main goal was to map and analyse the development of civilizational and infectious diseases in the Roma population, taking into account the social, economic and cultural status of the Roma in Slovakia. Methods: The data were analysed on the basis of available statistics and forecasts of the development of diseases in the allSlovak databases maintained by the NCZI SR and the Statistical Office of Slovak Republic. We compared the development of tuberculosis, hepatitis, diabetes, and the overuse of psychotropic substances, which often occur in marginalized Roma communities. Results: The results showed that although some diseases such as tuberculosis and hepatitis are decreasing along with the general average of registered diseases in the population, their highest occurrence in terms of the number of registered cases still occurs in Roma communities. Among Roma, the proportion of people addicted to psychotropic substances is increasing, the risk of infectious and civilizational diseases such as e.g. diabetes, asthma, obesity and cardiovascular diseases. Conclusion. With the decreasing quality of life of the Roma, the number of infectious and civilizational diseases also increases, therefore we recommend that comprehensive prevention, education in the field of vaccination and support for early diagnosis of diseases be implemented.

Predictors of educational aspirations of Roma mothers in Czech Republic, Greece, and Portugal

Roma communities are a disadvantaged minority in Europe which is particularly underrepresented in social and educational research. This study aimed to investigate the predictors of Roma mothers’ educational aspirations for their children in the Czech Republic, Greece, and Portugal. Participants included 461 mothers with a Roma background (135 from the Czech Republic, 130 from Greece, and 196 from Portugal), with a child between 3 to 6 (n = 181) or 9 to 12 (n = 280) years old. Data were based on mothers’ reports, obtained during a structured in-person interview. Material deprivation (microsystem level), frequency and quality of interactions with non-Roma parents, as well as the quality of parent-teacher interactions (mesosystem level), predicted Roma mothers’ educational aspirations. Findings suggest that, in addition to microsystemic variables such as material deprivation, mesosystemic predictors such as those examining contact with non-Roma parents may play an important role in shaping Roma mothers’ educational aspirations and need to be further examined.

Preparation of Two Participatory Social Housing Interventions in a Marginalised Roma Community in Romania

The first desegregation efforts in the marginalised and segregated communities in the Pata-Rât area were carried out within the frames of two social housing projects (between 2014–2017 and 2020–2023). Although a housing first methodology would have been more adequate in the context of a marginalised community, given the shortcomings of the Romanian social assistance system, implementation was impossible. In this context, it was necessary to develop a system to access social housing but also to create a reasonably ‘fair process’ at the community level. Thus, in both interventions, the starting point for developing the social housing criteria was to survey the community in order to explore the community members’ preferences regarding the criteria to be considered in the selection of the beneficiary families for the social houses. The surveys covered all the inhabitants of the Pata-Rât area, that is 219 households in the first survey and 282 households in the second. The survey results served as the basis for the development of the criteria for accessing social housing. In this article, we present and discuss the results of the community surveys from 2016 and from 2020, the year of the pandemic outbreak. Differences were found in the prioritisation of criteria, with an increasing preference for those reflecting vulnerability/needs (e.g., number of children, years spent in the community, disability) and decreasing preference for the ones indicating family resources (e.g., employment, income, education). These differences reflect the increase in poverty and loss of resources occurring in the community during this period, due both to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to the relocation of the 35 better-off families in the first Pata-Cluj project.

Bulgarian Roma at the Dawn of the COVID-19 Pandemic

With the establishment of the state of emergency in Bulgaria on 8 March 2020 due to the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, several restrictive measures aimed at social distancing were being introduced, to which the public had a contractionary reaction. The so-called “COVID-19 nests” led to the quarantine of a number of settlements. The ski-resort town of Bansko and the village of Panicherevo were the first isolated settlements targeted by our study. We focused on the reactions of the local Roma population, which were largely determined by their perceptions and understandings of infectious disease. The research methodology included ethnographic field research carried out in 2021. The data from the semi-structured interviews and focus-group discussions presented local responses to the pandemic, which to a large extent also represented the diversity of attitudes not only in the Roma community but also in Bulgarian society. The main questions we focused on were the great extent to which Roma are creating ethno-cultural strategies to cope/overcome the pandemic and how they are responding to the emergency measures and subsequent vaccination at the national and local levels.

CTITORI ȘI BINEFĂCĂTORI AI BISERICILOR ȘI ȘCOLILOR CONFESIONALE ORTODOXE ȘI GRECO-CATOLICE DIN SCAUNELE SECUIEȘTI CIUC, GIURGEU, ODORHEI ȘI TREISCAUNE, ÎN SECOLUL AL XVIII-LEA ȘI PRIMA JUMĂTATE A SECOLULUI AL XIX-LEA

The issue of the history of the Romanians from the former Szekler seats of Ciuc, Giurgeu, Odorhei and Treiscaune and of the main identity institutions – the church (Orthodox and Greek Catholic) and the confessional schools that functioned under the auspices of these churches has been little researched. Benefiting from access to ecclesiastical and secular documentary sources, little researched, the present study aims to introduce into the scientific circuit information about the state of places of worship and confessional schools built by members of some Romanian communities with a small number of members, most of them living in ethnically mixed localities, with a numerically majority Szekler/Hungarian population. In these conditions, an important role was played by the solidarity of the Romanians living on both sides of the Carpathians, who we find among the founders of the modest wooden churches, and after 1785, also of stone, and of the confessional school buildings. This solidarity was also manifested between the Romanian communities in the area. When a Romanian community, with a larger number of believers, managed to build a new church, the old one was donated to neighboring communities with few believers, thus witnessing the phenomenon called “traveling churches”. Where communities with a small number of Romanians have not managed to maintain their church, we witness the acceleration of the denationalization process and, finally, the disappearance of these communities. Instead, where it was possible to save the Orthodox and Greek-Catholic churches and the confessional schools in the Romanian language, religion and school were the main factors promoting Christian teaching, religious education, Romanian culture and traditions, thus ensuring the perpetuation of the Romanian identity in -a multi-ethnic and multi-confessional area, in most cases refractory to alterity.

Hygienic Boundaries: Roma Communities and the Racialisation of Public Health Discourses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Public health measures instituted during the COVID-19 pandemic included both social distancing measures (including lockdowns), as well as personal hygiene measures (i.e., washing hands, wearing masks), with the purpose of preventing the spread of the virus. Using primary data obtained from stakeholder interviews, surveys, and desktop research from seven non-EU countries in Eastern Europe, this article shows how a new discursive fault line with hygiene as its core emerged across these countries in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, symbolically (and sometimes physically) separating the Roma from the non-Roma. Lockdowns reduced the ability of the Roma people to earn a living, due to the often-informal nature of their employment; as a result, many faced difficulties in covering basic living costs. These difficulties were compounded by poor living conditions, which limited the extent to which Roma people were able to follow social distancing rules and the measures regulating personal hygiene. All these factors were used to depict Roma communities as both lacking in personal hygiene and as wilfully non-compliant with public health rules. Public discourses emphasised the gap between the (self-perceived) clean and rule-observing non-Roma, and Roma communities, constructed as lacking in discipline and personal hygiene. These discourses, centred on hygiene, reinforced social boundaries and justified abuse and exclusion.

Falling off the Radar? Reaching Out to the Finnish Roma Community during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In this paper, we ask how the Finnish Roma community handled the challenging times of the COVID-19 pandemic, and how the information reached Roma communities. The previous studies indicate existing health inequalities between Finnish Roma and the general population. The point of departure for the article is crisis communication between Finnish Roma and national authorities. The themes of racialization, mistrust and Roma relying on peers as a source of information and support became apparent. From this setting, this article sheds light on the way of speaking, usage of language, (Finnish) as a social construction of ethnic identity and expression of (non)belonging. At the same time, the usage of languge and codeswitching reveals social stratifications among the Finnish Roma population. Findings indicate that subtle forms of exclusion of Roma prevail in Finland and are materialized as a “left alone mentality”. Consequently, Roma persons working as civil servants or NGO workers would potentially constitute a crucial link between health authorities and the Roma population. This link, however, should be constantly maintained. The study is a qualitative study and based on thematic interviews among Roma actors.

Sprachenvielfalt und Sprachenpolitik in Kolumbien: das Projekt der Ethnischen Bildung

This article deals with the linguistic situation in Colombia. In addition to its enormous biological and geographical diversity, Colombia also has an astonishing number of autochthonous languages that still exist. In total, there are 65 indigenous languages, two Creole languages and the Romani of the Roma community. First, the status quo of these languages is outlined. Special attention is given to language policy and language maintenance, because the current legally protected rights of the indigenous peoples, also with regard to the use of their own languages, required a longstanding struggle. The most important stages of this development are outlined, starting with the constitution of 1991. The project of ethnic education, initiated in 1985, is an outstanding example for all of Latin America with regard to an inclusive language and cultural policy. The most important milestones of this development are briefly discussed. The long way to achieving equal participation of the autochthonous peoples, the protection and preservation of their languages is not over yet. For this reason, the article concludes with a look at the latest language and cultural policy project, the Ten-Year Plan for Native Languages in Colombia, which will set the guidelines for language policy between 2022 and 2032.

Stigma of mental illness in the gypsy ethnic group

IntroductionThe Roma population constitutes the largest ethnic minority in Spain (more than 2% of the population), with our country having the third largest total population of Roma in the world. The concept of health and disease varies with the sociocultural context. It is important to know the cultural characteristics to exercise good clinical practice. The stigma surrounding mental illness is widely known, and is even stronger in the Roma community, leading to marginalization and shame.ObjectivesWe present a case of a gypsy woman misdiagnosed from the age of 8 with hebephrenic schizophrenia.MethodsPatient frequents the emergency department with symptoms of predominantly anxiety, including episodes of psychomotor agitation, self-harm, verbalization of visual hallucinations of a mystical-religious nature. In treatment with antipsychotics since diagnosis, with no therapeutic adherence. It is observed during all the episodes how the anxiolytic treatment, even, sometimes, the verbal restraint, make the symptoms subside. Psychotic symptoms over the years are ruled out.ResultsDue to the diagnosis, this patient has been relegated from the gypsy community, she has not married or had children (an important milestone in gypsy culture), this has generated an exponential increase in anxiety symptoms and home problems.ConclusionsIt is important to know the cultural traits to which the patients we treat in consultation belong, and how the disease can affect their lives, and a simple diagnosis can be a source of greater anxiety.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Public transport accessibility and spatial exclusion in Roma settlements: A case study of three regions in Eastern Slovakia

Abstract Spatial isolation and social exclusion of some of the Roma communities have been a long-term issue in specific Slovakia regions. Along with some other factors, these may contribute to poor access to labour markets for Roma residents of such communities. As public transport acts as an important means of mobility of socially excluded residents, we consider the quality and accessibility of the public transport network as an important element that can impact on the spatially isolated Roma’s ability to reach labour markets, as well as services, education, etc. Based on our empirical evidence, this paper aims to provide a better understanding and analysis of the social exclusion of segregated Roma neighbourhoods in the context of spatial exclusion and transport disadvantage related to public transportation accessibility. We tried to focus on physical accessibility of public transport points for the communities, as well as on the quality and frequency of public transport services available at these points for residents of Roma communities. Our research covered three different regions of Eastern Slovakia, where the concentration of Roma communities is high compared to the rest of the country.

Inclusion health patient perspectives on remote access to general practice: a qualitative study.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to rapid and widespread adoption of remote consultations and triage-first pathways in general practice. However, there is a lack of evidence on how these changes have been perceived by patients from inclusion health groups. To explore the perspectives of individuals from inclusion health groups on the provision and accessibility of remote general practice services. A qualitative study with individuals from Gypsy, Roma and Traveller communities, sex workers, vulnerable migrants, and those experiencing homelessness, recruited by Healthwatch in east London. The study materials were co-produced with people with lived experience of social exclusion. Semi-structured interviews with 21 participants were audiorecorded, transcribed, and analysed using the framework method. Analysis identified barriers to access owing to lack of translation availability, digital exclusion, and a complex healthcare system, which is difficult to navigate. The role of triage and general practice in emergencies often seemed unclear to participants. Other themes identified included the importance of trust, face-to-face consultation options for ensuring safety, and the benefits of remote access, particularly in terms of convenience and saving time. Themes on reducing barriers included improving staff capacity and communication, offering tailored options and continuity of care, and simplifying care processes. The study highlighted the importance of a tailored approach for addressing the multiple barriers to care for inclusion health groups and the need for clearer and inclusive communication on the available triage and care pathways.