The situation of Roma women (Exploratory opinion from the European Parliament)

A large number of Roma women and girls continue to face multiple discrimination in various areas, ranging from health to employment and education, amongst others. They also have limited opportunities to influence the policies that most concern them. The EESC emphasises the importance of their involvement, with programmes aimed at Roma women foreseeing a majority of Roma women in their planning and implementation. The EESC calls for an end to segregated education and for the abolition of health practices which infringe ethical standards.

Key points

The EESC:

• emphasises the importance of involving Roma women in the policies that most concern them;
• proposes that in the planning and implementation of programmes aimed at Roma women, a majority of Roma women should be involved;
• calls for an end to segregated education and the setting up of training programmes for Roma women, with the aim of helping them secure better job opportunities;
• advocates the abolition of health practices which infringe ethical standards; calls for health mediators, health information points and public health initiatives as a means of working towards the Roma's right to health and reaching out to the Roma living in ghettos;
• proposes the extension or the abolition of the limitation period for the prosecution of forced sterilisations;
• encourages the promotion of social economy enterprises and support for business start-ups to facilitate the economic empowerment of Roma women, as a means to act against poverty and social exclusion;
• emphasises that unjustified and illegal evictions should be brought to an end;
• proposes the cataloguing of systematic infringements of Roma women's rights through the formulation of ''white papers'', which would be drawn up in collaboration with independent Roma community organisations;
• calls for the ratification and implementation of the Istanbul Convention by all Member States, especially given the vulnerability of Roma women and girls of being victims of violence.