For a Comprehensive Law for the Recognition, Equality and Promotion of the Roma [editar]
On this Human Rights Day, Fundación Secretariado Gitano wishes to highlight that real and effective equality remains a pending issue for the more than one million Spanish Roma. We do so in a very special year, in which we commemorate a historic date, the 600th anniversary of the presence of the Roma on the Iberian Peninsula; six centuries of shared history, resistance, citizenship and decisive contributions to the construction of our country, which the Government itself has recognised as the Year of the Roma People in Spain.
This anniversary is not only a time to celebrate, but also to face reality head-on: the violation of rights that still systematically affects the Roma people today demands a courageous, comprehensive and transformative response. We therefore reiterate our call for the promotion and approval, with broad social and political consensus, of a Comprehensive Law for the Recognition, Equality and Promotion of the Roma.
As we stated on 8 April, International Roma Day, this 600th anniversary marks a turning point. Spanish society has reached sufficient democratic maturity to take a further step forward in guaranteeing rights and recognising diversity. The adoption of the 1978 Constitution put an end to centuries of persecution and institutional exclusion. However, we have seen that, although this was an important step forward, it was not enough to guarantee real and effective equality for the Roma people.
Likewise, the current political framework, including the National Strategy for the Roma Inclusion, Equality and Participation 2021-2030, has led to significant progress, but it remains insufficient. Binding tools are needed to ensure continuity, coordination, sustained investment and a structural, rather than fragmented, response.
Indeed, structural inequalities persist that affect the Roma in education, employment, housing, health, social participation and equal treatment. The figures speak for themselves: disproportionate school failure and early leaving rates, high unemployment rates, persistent slum housing, school segregation, and daily and structural discrimination.
A comprehensive law would make it possible to safeguard the obligations of the public authorities, regardless of who is in power, and to implement specific and sustained policies in essential areas such as education, housing and employment. It would also provide a solid framework for comprehensively combating antigypsyism, with more precise and effective legal responses, and would enable progress in the recognition of the Roma People, their history, their culture and their contributions to society. The law would also guarantee that Roma history and culture are present in classrooms, responding to a growing demand from citizens, and would ensure stable funding for initiatives aimed at promoting Roma knowledge, memory and participation.
Fundación Secretariado Gitano is launching this proposal, which is in line with universal human rights principles, and we call on political forces, institutions, civil society and the general public to support a comprehensive law based on equality, recognition and rights. A law that unites, that adds value, that advances social cohesion and that strengthens our democracy.
