01/18/2023 - Ukraine
The World Roma Federation (WRF) is excited to announce the launch of its first phase of the Economic Social Community Outreach initiative in Ukraine. Our team is working hard to collect data that will help us further develop the program. We believe that this initiative has the potential to make a real difference in the lives of Roma people. We're also working on the launching the same initiative in countries like Moldova and Romania very soon.
These initiatives are all part of our commitment to improving the lives of Roma people. We believe that by working together, we can make a real difference in the lives of Roma people all over the world.
"We are working actively on addressing the challenges faced by our Roma community and are here to contribute to addressing the real needs of our Roma communities everywhere," says Janos Sztojka, founder and President.
The Roma community has faced a lot of discrimination and persecution throughout history. The Roma people were first persecuted in Europe during the 14th century. They were sent to concentration camps and gas chambers during the Holocaust. In communist countries, they were forced to live in ghetto-like conditions.
According to the Fundamental Rights Agency's latest report, 80% of Roma people live in poverty.
"We have video evidence that their living conditions and housing situation has not changed much over the past 100 years. Our research team has obtained archives from multiple sources such as the US Holocaust Museum and other institutions who permitted us to use the materials for our program. As you can see from our earliest findings, people are still living in horrific conditions" said Deny Dobobrov, Director of International Relations
The Roma People have no representation acting on their behalf or in their interests at a local or regional level due to their lack of state affiliation. For many years, prejudice, social isolation, bigotry, and stigmatization have and continue to be perpetrated against Roma. Roma have contended with hate speech and hate crime against, as well as discrimination in education, employment, health and housing, forced evictions, and spatial segregation. Because of isolation from the rest of society, Roma people need direction and a motivational push to live, interact and thrive among the settled population in the European Union. This is why we have embarked on the Roma Economic and Social Community Outreach. This program's mission is to promote societal support for Roma inclusion, as well as promoting political, social and cultural participation of Roma people by providing a well-organized forum for engaging Roma communities, assessing their needs, and presenting these findings at the state level.
For further information contact Deny Dobobrov at pr@wrf-gov.org
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