Annual Report 2014 - Discrimination and the Roma community

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Positive developments in the field of anti-discrimination
4. NET-KARD Project:
Cooperation and networking among key
stakeholders to combat discrimination
against the Roma community
The Roma community is Europe’s most rejected ethnic
minority. The aim of the NET-KARD project is to ad-
dress this reality by enhancing the transfer of already
existing methodologies in the fight against discrimina-
tion of the Roma people in the different countries par-
ticipating in this project.
NET-KARD employs an integrated approach and its
main objective is to provide resources to key profes-
sionals in the prevention of discrimination against Roma
and the promotion of networking and shared working
methods among key players in the fight against dis-
crimination and support for victims, namely lawyers and
jurists, police services, Roma associations and media
professionals.
The NET-KARD project is funded by the European
Union Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme
(DG Justice) and the implementing association is com-
posed of the following organisations: Fundación Sec-
retariado Gitano (coordination), EAPN – European Anti
Poverty Network/ Portugal (EAPN Portugal), Alto
Comissariado para a Imigração e Diálogo Intercultural, I.P.
(Portugal), Centrul de Resurse Juridice (Romania), Fun-
datia Secretariatul Romilor (Romania), Ufficio Nazionale
Antidiscriminazioni Razziali (Italy) and IISMAS - Istituto
Internazionale Scienze Mediche Antropologiche e Sociali
(Italy).
The richness of this association ensures a comprehen-
sive approach to the fight on discrimination: National
equal treatment bodies, NGOs with experience in sup-
porting the Roma community, academic experts, police
forces and legal organisations from Spain, Portugal, Ro-
mania and Italy work together to implement the project
and disseminate results and products.
Specifically, this project aims to transfer best practic-
es from partner countries, analyse their effectiveness in
different contexts and learn lessons that can be used
by others, employing a practical approach from the
perspective of each key player. Methodologies can be
transferred to any European country to improve effi-
ciency in the fight against discrimination of Roma and
support for victims. To achieve this goal, the project’s
methodology is based on the creation of networks
among key actors.
Several work seminars were held in 2013 in Spain and
Italy to conduct a comparative analysis of the legal
framework applicable to discrimination and to identify
the main impediments standing in the way to the prop-
er defence of rights in the case of Roma victims.
In 2014 a national seminar was held in each partner coun-
try and an international conference was held in Madrid
with key agents from 10 European countries to pro-
mote networking among professionals in this field.
Four NET-KARD handbooks were also published under
this project targeting the four key agents (journalists,
jurists, NGOs, and police) to provide them with tools
and useful examples of how to combat anti-gypsyism.
The handbooks are published in 5 languages and are
available at: