Respecting, Protecting and Promoting Rights of Roma Children: Improving Policy and Practice through Roma Children’s Participation

Abstract

Thirty years after the creation of the 1989 UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) Roma children continue to experience ‘human rights violations on a daily basis’ and some of the most pervasive discrimination in Europe. For example, 2018 Roma Civil Society Monitoring indicates that there is ‘inadequate awareness of antigypsyism3 and/or its characteristics’ and insufficient attention to the impact of child poverty on Roma children and their over-representation in alternative care. The EU have acknowledged that the situation of Roma children is ‘particularly worrying’ as Roma children are vulnerable to ‘poor health, poor housing, poor nutrition, exclusion, discrimination, racism and violence’. Research demonstrates Roma children’s exposure to poorer health outcomes due to low birth weight, and lack of targeted health promotion initiatives. Whilst some Roma children succeed and thrive, many Roma children experience rights violations linked to antigypsyism; economic inequalities; lack of documentation; poor experiences of healthcare, schooling and early education and care; exclusion from and segregation in these services; discrimination in the labour market; exposure to exploitation; denial of ‘active citizenship’; and in some countries, Roma communities being described as a threat and deported. The 2018 EU Communication on Roma Integration notes the situation for Roma people is worsening in terms of housing, discrimination and possibly health and employment.