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Challenges for the Romanian strategy for the integration of theRomanian citizens belonging to the Roma minority

The scope of the Government Strategy for the inclusion of

Romanian citizens belonging to Roma minority for the period 2012 2020 is to ensure the social and economic inclusion of Romaniancitizens belonging to Roma minority, by implementing integratedpolicies in the fields of education, employment, health, housing,culture and social infrastructure.

Moreover, the Government Strategy aims at making the local andcentral public authorities, the Roma minority and the civil societyresponsible for the increase of the level of social and economicinclusion of the Romanian citizens belonging to Roma minority.

Even generous in its principles and provisions, the Romanian strategy lacks innumerous areas, as described below:

Thus, in the adopted strategy, there is no reference to the geographicaldistribution of the Roma population the subject of this national strategy.There are only used data from the 2002 population census, the World Bankreport of 2005 (map of poverty areas), as well as the European Commissionestimations.

There is no baseline study, as regards the needs in the four main policy

areas: education, housing, employment and access to the health services. Inaddition to the European Framework provisions, alongside the four majorpolicies, there present two other goals: culture and social infrastructure, whichare relevant to the Romanian context. Without such a baseline study, it isimpossible to measure the progress of the implementation of the policymeasures of the national strategy. More, the used indicators are old (thoseindicated in a report issued by a Presidential Commission), based on asecondary analysis, compilation from other reports.

There is no progress indicators, nor accurate budgetary indications (e.g. EUfunding, local budget, other sources, private funding etc.)

The goals of the national strategy for the Roma integration are quite general,without the possibilities of operationalize them into concrete indicators. Thereare some indicators of the proposed actions, but not correlated with themeasures of the sectorial action plans of measures. Again, in the absence ofa baseline study, it is impossible to measure the progress of those policymeasures.

As regards the Action Plans of Measures of the strategy, there is no synergybetween the policy areas, their adoption being as a result of separatedocuments adopted and assumed by each line ministries. Even the integrated

approach was claimed in the text of the strategy, there are no more but simplestatements.

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Challenges in the field of Education

Ethnic segregation in public education

In Romania, despite of the existence of a legal framework (since 2004)

forbidding the ethnic/racial segregation in schools, the phenomenon is stillpresent, especially in communities inhabited by both Roma in non-Romapopulation. The Roma NGOs, active in the monitoring of Roma inclusionpolicies, are continuously advocating for a total desegregation of theRomanian educational system. In the new Law of National Education,adopted in 2011, there is no reference of the existence of such phenomenon,as well as the coercive provisions associated with such unlawful practices inthe schools. A joint report of Romani CRISS and UNICEF Romania, in 20111,shows that the school segregation is still an issue contributing significantly tothe school drop-out; the latter is present significantly in the schools with aration of more than 50% of Roma children.

Lack of access to the quality education of the Roma children

The Romanian educational system is caracterized by unequal chances ineducation as regards the Roma children (alongside with the children from therural areas as well); and this for a variety of factors. The lack of funding in theeducational system is determining the qualified teachers to refuse to workingin the rural areas or within Roma communities. Those schools have aprecarious teaching resources, no heating or water, nor libraries. Suchconditions are leading to an inferior quality of the education in such schools,

as regards both the content and the quantity.

Other factors contributing to a low quality of the education are: the fluctuationof the teachers in the segregated Roma schools, the low graduationpercentage of the pupils belonging to the Roma minority, as well as the lack ofstrategies of the schools to prevent the school drop-out of those children.

Challenges in the field of Health

Lack of access to the Roma to the public health services

A major barrier in front of Roma when accessing the public health services isrelated to the possibility of proving the quality of beneficiary of healthinsurance. Many of them are enrolled in the informal working activities, inagriculture, collecting/sorting waist etc., with no social security andinsurances.

A good model of intervention in the field of health is the Roma healthmediation system, which, in the last years, was jeopardized by theunprepared decentralization process. Thus, the mayors didnt see the role ofthe profession of Roma health mediator, as a liaison between the Romacommunity and the medical staff, and their contribution to the monitoring and

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amelioration of their health condition, and 2/3 of them (200 out of around 600)were not hired anymore by the local councils, while motivating the lack offinancial resources, even though their salaries were secured from the Ministryof Healths central budget. The lack of trust of the Roma in the medicalpersonnel, due to some previous stigmatizing personal experiences, the

extreme poverty and the lack of information, as well as the formalbureaucratic barriers, are determining many Roma to access mainly the ERservices, when their health condition was already worsened.There is no preoccupation for the prevention and awareness raising activitiesin Roma communities, nor programs for exposure to diversity, culture andtraditions of Roma, among the medical personnel.

Challenges in the field of Housing

Even though essential to the social inclusion field, the housing policy is stilluntouched by the policy makers as regards the Roma living in extreme

poverty. Common challenges for Roma in the field of Housing: lack of IDpapers and/or property related documents, forced evictions without providingadequate housing, or lack of investment in the stock of social houses, are onlya few major issues which should be tackled in this regard.

Discrimination, Exclusion, Marginalisation