European Commission on Racism and Intolerance Reports on Romania

10 July 2002

The Council of Europe's European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) made public its second report on Romania on April 23, 2002. In its report, ECRI noted the following: "[…] ECRI is however concerned that a lack of awareness of the new (anti-discrimination) legislation in force means that it is not yet being used. […] It has been reported that the first case brought under the anti-discrimination legislation was adjourned due to a lack of knowledge of this very piece of legislation on the part of the court in question. […] It has been commented that certain minority groups, such as the Roma/Gypsy community, are under-represented in Parliament in comparison to their numerical size. […] ECRI is moreover particularly concerned to learn that discriminatory behaviours on the part of some teachers persist, including the practice of placing Roma children at the back of the classroom and of treating them differently from the other children in the classroom. It has also been reported that some teachers are unwilling to teach Roma children as their own performance is evaluated according to the educational achievements of their pupils, fearing that the average level of this achievement will be put at risk by the often poor results of Roma/Gypsy children. […] The Roma/Gypsy community in Romania is particularly vulnerable to discrimination and disadvantage in many fields of life, as outlined elsewhere in this report. It is also the object of continued prejudice and racism on the part of the majority community […] Stereotypes concerning the Roma/Gypsy community persist and are reflected in societal attitudes, the presentation of issues concerning this community by the media, and in the positions adopted by some politicians and political parties […] A particularly vulnerable group within the Roma/Gypsy community is comprised of those persons who do not possess any identity cards or other documentation such as birth certificates. These persons are unable to access benefits in the field of housing and social and health provision, and are excluded from other fields such as employment since all these areas are dependent upon the possession of an identity card. They are also particularly vulnerable in their relations with the police and with local authorities. In this respect, ECRI deplores the recent declaration by the mayor of Bucharest that all persons without proper residence permits are to be expelled from the city. […] ECRI deplores in particular that cases of police violence against members of the Roma/Gypsy community, including the use of firearms, continue to occur, and have led to serious and sometimes lethal injuries. Police raids on areas where Roma/Gypsy communities are living, often at night and with no authorisation, are also relatively common: persons thus apprehended, including women and children, are then taken to the police station for questioning. […] Such abuses, although well-documented and reported to the authorities by non-governmental organisations and individuals, do not appear to be thoroughly investigated or sanctioned: cases which are investigated are usually dismissed. […] It has been reported that members of the Roma/Gypsy community are also discriminated against before the courts, where they are likely to receive harsher sentences than others accused of similar crimes." ( Full text of the report )

(ERRC)