Austria Life forces us into it

July 15, 2008

Comment: The Austrian news portal ‘Chilli.cc’ describes the situation of the Roma population today in Europe. Of course, reference is made to the last conference organised by the OSCE on the integration of Roma and Sinti in Vienna, but also gives references to the last anti-Roma worrying signs in Italy and other European countries. (Read the last news here)

The journalists quotes a Roma activitist who call to end discrimination and a life on the edges of society and the whole article shows how “the largest minority in Europe” (8 to 12 million) is facing “social exclusion in all areas of life”.

The author concludes by evoking “the vicious circle of poverty and social exclusion is a horrible breeding ground for another phenomenon, with which one is faced immediately once starting to work with Roma: human trafficking. Women are sexually exploited, children are taken as beggars and pickpockets to big cities of Central and Western Europe. Vienna is one of the target cities."

The way that the journalist makes the link between the social exclusion of the Roma population and the highly complex phenomenon of traffcking in human beings is clear and explanatory. And the conclusion of the article quotes again the Roma activist: “‘*You don’t know us and we don’t know you*’ states the Roma woman. *First and foremost hate and prejudices need to be dissolved. Only after that can Roma be integrated step by step”*.

Read the original article (in German) here