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Cases of discrimination. Conclusions and recommendations
1. Conclusions and recommendations
The Area of Equal Treatment of the Fundación Secretariado Gitano has been working for ten years to combat discrim-
ination against the Roma community. This means meeting the needs of victims of discrimination;
1073 cases registered
from 2003-2013
, with
151
cases reported in 2013. Having analysed these cases, we would draw attention to the follow-
ing conclusions and recommendations:
Conclusions
I.
Rejection of the Roma community is a phenomenon that our society has not yet
managed to overcome.
II.
The lack of complaints filed for discriminatory incidents serves as evidence of
misinformation, distrust and fear on the part of victims.
III.
The practical enforcement of anti-discrimination law in Spain remains a pending task.
IV.
When discriminatory, hateful and unjust acts are perpetrated against Roma families,
the response of the majority society and all those involved in the defence of human
rights is lukewarm.
V.
The negative image of the Roma community is the main cause of discrimination and
the media (including the Internet) are responsible to a large extent for propagating that
image and this is precisely the area where most cases of discrimination are recorded
annually.
VI.
Discrimination prevents the social inclusion of this population and occurs in the
exercise of basic social rights, i.e. the right to work, education, housing, health, and
access to goods and services. We would stress that employment is the area in which
the second most cases of discrimination have been recorded in this decade of work.
VII. Political leaders are key players in the defence of Equality. Forcefulness on the part of
state and European institutions is required in the event that a political leader engages
in hate speech or is otherwise involved in discriminatory actions.
VIII. Hate and discrimination crime prosecutors constitute a big step forward in the fight
against hate crimes and discrimination in Spain, but they need greater visibility.
IX.
Spain has not yet effectively complied with the European mandate established under
European Directive 2000/43/EC, concerning the creation of an independent body to
promote equal treatment and non-discrimination.
X.
Growing anti-gypsyism in Europe is worrying, especially towards the most vulnerable
sectors of the Roma community.
XI.
Victims need practical and effective protection mechanisms when their right to
equality has been violated. This is a pending issue that our judicial and police system
needs to address.