The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg highlights the FSG Acceder programme as a good practice to improve the social inclusion of Roma. [editar]

June 1, 2011

As a follow up to the field visit made last April, 2011 to learn by firsthand the situation of the Roma population in our country, the Commissioner sent to the Spanish Minister of Health, Social Policy and Equality, Ms. Leire Pajin, a letter highlighting that constructive programmes to foster Roma inclusion have been implemented in Spain and that this should be consolidated and strengthened. The fields identified as crucial to invest were: employment, education, housing, health and the fight against discrimination/anti-Gypsyism.

Acknowledging that access to employment is key for improving the living conditions of the Roma, the Commissioner stated that “During the last decade, Roma employment rates have increased in particular through the ACCEDER programme which has been facilitating Roma access to the labour market(…). However, the current economic downturn affecting Spain may endanger these improvements”. The Commissioner recommended the Spanish authorities to maintain political and financial commitments to existing programmes guaranteeing that the current crisis will not disproportionally affect the most vulnerable groups of people, as the Roma.

In his letter the Commissioner called the Minister’s attention to the Roma population still living in segregated and substandard dwellings and that special attention should be paid to the migrant Roma who encounter larger obstacles when accessing adequate housing. In close relationship with housing conditions, Mr. Hammarberg expressed his concerns on the existing gap in health conditions and life expectancy between the Roma and the rest of the population.

After recognizing the great achievements reached towards the full enrollment of Roma children at primary level, the Commissioner emphasized the higher dropout rate in secondary education among Roma in comparison with the majority population. In that sense, Mr. Hammarberg stressed that the efforts should be focused on these students in order to ensure that more Roma children complete compulsory education and continue to attend university. In addition, the Commissioner also highlighted the risks of low quality education in geographical segregated schools.

As a final concern, the letter notes that further efforts are necessary to fight deep-seated prejudices towards the Roma and recommended that measures to support diversity and fight discrimination, including in the media, political messages and the police, should be taken. Finally, the Commissioner indicated the relevance of promoting the Roma culture and history among the majority population.