Recent Survey Reveals Poor Living Conditions of Spanish Roma

20 November 2007

According to an April 2007 survey conducted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs in Spain, the standard of living for the roughly 70,000 Roma residing within Spanish borders was alarmingly low, according to a report in the International Herald Tribune. The vast majority of Spanish Roma live in poverty, suffering from direct discrimination on the job market and from high illiteracy rates. Forty-seven percent of those surveyed listed racism as their biggest problem.

Spanish Prime Minister Jose Zapatero's Socialist government reportedly hopes to pass a law which would increase the ability of self-employed citizens, many of whom are Romani, to access social security benefits. Another proposed law suggests subsidies and tax breaks for companies employing marginalised social groups, such as Roma.

(International Herald Tribune)