International Roma and Sinti Day – Annual Report on condition of Roma and Sinti people in Italy (Rome, Italy)

Event: International Roma and Sinti Day – Annual Report on condition of Roma and Sinti people in Italy (Rome, Italy)

Date: 08/04/2016

Organization: Associazione 21 Luglio

Senator Luigi Manconi (an Italian politician well known for his commitment to minorities, inmates and civil rights) and President of Associazione 21 Luglio Carlo Stasolla presented the Report written by Associazione 21 Luglio. The report highlights the delay of Italy in performing the European Framework for National Strategies for National Roma Integration Strategies. 180.000 roma people live in Italy (about the 0,25% of the population). At least 50% of Roma people are Italian citizens. 60% are under 18 years old. About 20% (40.000 people) live in Roma camps, mostly located in the outskirts of Italian cities and famous for being dirty and crowded areas, with minimal opportunities for social inclusion. One person in five never started and educational curriculum and one in four didn’t complete it.
The situation is particularly delicate in Rome, the capital of Italy and the area where Consorzio Innopolis will carry out the project local activities: there are 9 official Roma camps inhabited by 4.744 people. Other smaller unofficial camps are scattered throughout the metropolitan area. Italian authorities are used to addressing the issue only in terms of public order, with a policy that fluctuates between disinterest and sudden repressive drives that lead to forced evictions, without having a long-term vision and without providing Roma people with public services (schooling, VET, opportunities of social and working inclusion etc.).
Report highlights a small number of best practices in terms of social inclusion. For instance Municipality of Alghero (Sardinia Region) developed a program that aims to address the problem of housing, providing some Roma people with accommodation. Municipality of Turin (Piedmont Region) is working on the issue of microcredit.

One of the most factors that obstacles the social inclusion of Roma people is the climate of hostility and intolerance that feeds on stereotypes and prejudices, as well as the hate speech by political and institutional leaders. In 2015 Associazione 21 luglio collected 265 cases of hate speech against Roma and Sinti people (about 55% classified as having high severity). 89% of these cases came from political exponents, the majority of whom are politicians of Lega Nord party.

Consorzio Innopolis attended the event with four people: three people who are part of the project staff (Simona Rotondi, Gabriele Levi and Claudio Novembre) and the contact person (Marco Arceri). We described the PAL project, in an informal way, to Associazione 21 Luglio staff, that is one of the most important Italian stakeholder dealing with the issue of Roma people. Associazione 21 Luglio will be one of our counterparts in the development of the local activities of PAL project.