Social Europe

politics, economy and employment & labour

  • Projects
    • Corporate Taxation in a Globalised Era
    • US Election 2020
    • The Transformation of Work
    • The Coronavirus Crisis and the Welfare State
    • Just Transition
    • Artificial intelligence, work and society
    • What is inequality?
    • Europe 2025
    • The Crisis Of Globalisation
  • Audiovisual
    • Audio Podcast
    • Video Podcasts
    • Social Europe Talk Videos
  • Publications
    • Books
    • Dossiers
    • Occasional Papers
    • Research Essays
    • Brexit Paper Series
  • Shop
  • Membership
  • Ads
  • Newsletter

Covid-19 does not discriminate—nor should we

by Birgit Van Hout on 5th May 2020 @Birgit_Van_Hout

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn

A paradigm shift in national and EU Roma strategies is more urgent than ever.

Roma, Travellers
Birgit Van Hout

In these times of Covid-19, solidarity between neighbours and families, among communities and across borders, is of the essence, because in an interconnected world our health and support systems are only as strong as their weakest link.

Roma communities are showing their solidarity by sewing face masks and distributing food packages. Yet, overall, states risk leaving Roma and Travellers behind.

Indeed, the pandemic has exacerbated the already critical condition of inequality many Roma, Sinti and Travellers face. It also shows how far removed we still are from ‘ending Roma discrimination and exclusion’—the stated policy objective of the European Union, in line with article 2 of the Treaty of the European Union and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Egregious violations

For decades, international and regional bodies monitoring human rights have drawn attention to egregious violations of the civil, cultural, economic, political, and social rights of Roma. While efforts are being made—albeit by some governments more than others—the vast majority of Roma, Sinti and Travellers in Europe remain at the margins of society. Fully 80 per cent of Roma women, men and children in the EU live below their country’s at-risk-of-poverty threshold.

Yet, had priority been given by national and local officials to implementing the concrete and actionable human-rights recommendations arising from United Nations bodies, the Council of Europe, the EU Framework for Roma Inclusion and the wider Sustainable Development Agenda, would Roma, Sinti and Travellers find themselves in such dire straits today?

Join our growing community newsletter!

"Social Europe publishes thought-provoking articles on the big political and economic issues of our time analysed from a European viewpoint. Indispensable reading!"

Polly Toynbee

Columnist for The Guardian

Thank you very much for your interest! Now please check your email to confirm your subscription.

There was an error submitting your subscription. Please try again.

Powered by ConvertKit

As quarantine and lockdown measures are being enforced, one in three Roma children in the EU has no access to running water or health care, as many Roma live in segregated and overcrowded settlements. The simplest instruction—‘wash your hands’—becomes meaningless without access to clean water. Traveller caravans have been confiscated. Poor living conditions prevent social distancing and affect the immune systems of young and old.

In the absence of a computer, internet and sometimes even electricity, many Roma children find themselves excluded from distance learning. Often not benefiting from social protection, extreme poverty looms large for many families relying on temporary, insecure or informal employment. At the same time, the UN Human Rights Office receives reports of increasing manifestations of hatred against the Roma.

More positively, there are instances where Covid-19 has given rise to co-operation between grassroots organisations and authorities, often at municipal level: to disseminate information in Slovakia, put in place multilingual helplines in Ireland or provide medical supplies and equipment to Roma settlements in Greece.

Pivotal role

The pivotal role of Roma organisations in this crisis further illustrates why Europe needs a vibrant civil society. Activists are mobilising transnational support for the most affected Roma communities in Europe, providing food, water and disinfectant. They are engaging in dialogue with national and local authorities to prevent the worst.


We need your help! Please join our mission to improve public policy debates.


As you may know, Social Europe is an independent publisher. We aren't backed by a large publishing house or big advertising partners. For the longevity of Social Europe we depend on our loyal readers - we depend on you. You can support us by becoming a Social Europe member for less than 5 Euro per month.

Thank you very much for your support!

Become a Social Europe Member

Where there are computers and internet access, Roma educational assistants help children with distance learning through online chats and video support. Roma mediators collect information about the situation in settlements to ensure that the guidance is being followed and to identify the needs of the most vulnerable families. 

States have a responsibility to protect the human rights of Roma in the public-health response to Covid-19 and in the recovery. Tailored assistance should include water, soap and sanitiser, food and medicine for communities in deficit, a moratorium on forced evictions, income support for those in need, affordable and equitable access to internet services, and protective equipment for those who continue to work.

Fundamental shift

Looking ahead, national Roma strategies and public perceptions need to shift fundamentally away from considering the Roma as ‘a problem to be solved’. Alternative policies should uphold the human rights of Roma and tackle the prejudice, stereotypes and discrimination that hold them back.

A new EU Roma Framework post-2020 represents an opportunity to remedy the weaknesses of the current framework, to hold states to account for making tangible progress and to embed the human-rights principles of participation, transparency and non-discrimination.

The Roma have been left behind for too long. Covid-19 does not discriminate; neither should we.

Share on TwitterShare on FacebookShare on LinkedIn
Home ・ Covid-19 does not discriminate—nor should we

Filed Under: Politics Tagged With: coronavirus

About Birgit Van Hout

Birgit Van Hout is regional representative for Europe at UN Human Rights (OHCHR) in Brussels. Previously, she worked to advance human rights, the rule of law and democracy in Guatemala, Timor Leste, Bosnia, central Asia, Palestine, Venezuela and Togo with various departments of the United Nations, the European Union and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe.

Partner Ads

Most Popular Posts

Thomas Piketty,capital Capital and ideology: interview with Thomas Piketty Thomas Piketty
sovereignty Brexit and the misunderstanding of sovereignty Peter Verovšek
China,cold war The first global event in the history of humankind Branko Milanovic
centre-left, Democratic Party The Biden victory and the future of the centre-left EJ Dionne Jr
Covid 19 vaccine Designing vaccines for people, not profits Mariana Mazzucato, Henry Lishi Li and Els Torreele

Most Recent Posts

Uber,drivers,gig UK gig drivers recognised as workers—what next? Jill Toh
women workers,services Covid-19: a tale of two service sectors John Hurley
European Pillar of Social Rights,social pillar EU credibility as a people’s union rests on the social pillar Liina Carr
vaccine nationalism,Big Pharma Vaccine nationalism won’t defeat the pandemic Sharan Burrow
adaptation strategy Managing the unavoidable impact of climate change Ludovic Voet

Other Social Europe Publications

US election 2020
Corporate taxation in a globalised era
The transformation of work
The coronavirus crisis and the welfare state
Whither Social Rights in (Post-)Brexit Europe?

ETUI advertisement

ETUI/ETUC (online) conference Towards a new socio-ecological contract 3-5 February 2021

The need to effectively tackle global warming puts under pressure the existing industrial relations models in Europe. A viable world of labour requires a new sustainability paradigm: economic, social and environmental.

The required paradigm shift implies large-scale economic and societal change and serious deliberation. All workers need to be actively involved and nobody should be left behind. Massive societal coalitions will have to be built for a shared vision to emerge and for a just transition, with fairly distributed costs, to be supported. But this is also an opportunity to redefine our societal goals and how they relate to the current focus on (green) growth.


REPLAY ALL SESSIONS

To access the videos, click on the chosen day then click on the ‘video’ button of your chosen session (plenary or panel). It will bring you immediately to the corresponding video. To access the available presentations, click on the chosen day then click on the ‘information’ button. Check the links to the available presentations.

Eurofound advertisement

Industrial relations: developments 2015-2019

Eurofound has monitored and analysed developments in industrial relations systems at EU level and in EU member states for over 40 years. This new flagship report provides an overview of developments in industrial relations and social dialogue in the years immediately prior to the Covid-19 outbreak. Findings are placed in the context of the key developments in EU policy affecting employment, working conditions and social policy, and linked to the work done by social partners—as well as public authorities—at European and national levels.


CLICK FOR MORE INFO

Foundation for European Progressive Studies Advertisement

FEPS Progressive Yearbook

Twenty-twenty has been an extraordinary year. The Covid-19 pandemic and the multidimensional crisis that it triggered have boosted existing trends and put forward new challenges. But they have also created unexpected opportunities to set a new course of action for the European Union and—hopefully—make a remarkable leap forward in European integration.

The second edition of the Progressive Yearbook, the yearly publication of the Foundation for European Progressive studies, revolves around the exceptional events of 2020 and looks at the social, economic and political impact they will have in 2021. It is a unique publication, which aims to be an instrument for the progressive family to reflect on the recent past and look ahead to our next future.


CLICK HERE

Social Europe Publishing book

With a pandemic raging, for those countries most affected by Brexit the end of the transition could not come at a worse time. Yet, might the UK's withdrawal be a blessing in disguise? With its biggest veto player gone, might the European Pillar of Social Rights take centre stage? This book brings together leading experts in European politics and policy to examine social citizenship rights across the European continent in the wake of Brexit. Will member states see an enhanced social Europe or a race to the bottom?

'This book correctly emphasises the need to place the future of social rights in Europe front and centre in the post-Brexit debate, to move on from the economistic bias that has obscured our vision of a progressive social Europe.' Michael D Higgins, president of Ireland


MORE INFO

Hans Böckler Stiftung Advertisement

Renewing labour relations in the German meat industry: an end to 'organised irresponsibility'?

Over the course of 2020, repeated outbreaks of Covid-19 in a number of large German meat-processing plants led to renewed public concern about the longstanding labour abuses in this industry. New legislation providing for enhanced inspection on health and safety, together with a ban on contract work and limitations on the use of temporary agency employees, holds out the prospect of a profound change in employment practices and labour relations in the meat industry. Changes in the law are not sufficient, on their own, to ensure decent working conditions, however. There is also a need to re-establish the previously high level of collective-bargaining coverage in the industry, underpinned by an industry-wide collective agreement extended by law to cover the entire sector.


FREE DOWNLOAD

About Social Europe

Our Mission

Article Submission

Legal Disclosure

Privacy Policy

Copyright

Social Europe ISSN 2628-7641

Find Social Europe Content

Search Social Europe

Project Archive

Politics Archive

Economy Archive

Society Archive

Ecology Archive

.EU Web Awards