COVID-19 and the increased risk for Roma communities
5373 Mins Read
The living conditions for Roma communities across Europe have always raised a lot of concerns, they constantly face problems such as overcrowding and poor access to sanitation. Established in 1990, International Roma Day, marks the date of the first international meeting of Roma representatives across Europe, on 8 April 1971 in the United Kingdom. Two humanitarian organisations – the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR) – talk about how this situation is now being exacerbated by the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe.
FRA Director Michael O’Flaherty spoke about recent research related to the Roma community, saying, “Already before the pandemic, many Member States failed to bring about real noticeable change for Europe’s Roma communities. With the current EU Roma strategy ending this year, the EU and its Member States must act in future to end the longstanding Roma discrimination and marginalisation that this pandemic regrettably is bringing into sharp relief.”
As governments and health authorities advocate social distancing and regular hand washing with soap and water to mitigate the spread of the virus, most members of the Roma communities find themselves unable to carry out these restrictive measures, as they live in very close quarters and overcrowded houses, very often without access to fresh, clean water, reports FRA.
Moreover, these restrictive measures will continue to isolate the Roma people, cutting them off from the rest of society while pushing them further into poverty. Many of them have low paid jobs without any guarantee of social security, which they cannot carry out from the comfort of their homes via teleworking.
“Besides the pandemic and all the health problems it creates, governments are likely to find themselves facing a serious economic and social crisis,” says ODIHR Director Ingibjörg Sólrún Gísladóttir. “Roma are particularly at risk, as well as others who are already vulnerable or are now in danger of slipping into poverty because of the current situation. Governments therefore have an important and urgent responsibility to develop comprehensive and inclusive plans of support – and make sure they are implemented.”
Access to healthcare and medication also becomes a challenge considering the lack of financial resources, while basic services are very often unavailable within their communities. Restrictive lockdown measures may also limit the possibility of healthcare workers visiting the Roma campsites.
Within this bleak scenario, the FRA has identified the important role of health mediators, who are among the few who are trusted and allowed to visit marginalised communities and can keep a constructive dialogue with them. Participation and empowerment should be encouraged and replicated in future actions, while governments should continue to focus on poverty reduction and the provision of public utilities, as well as affordable social housing.
The coronavirus pandemic is causing an even more precarious situation, in addition to the constant discrimination which the Roma communities face every day. They too require help to protect themselves effectively against the onslaught of the COVID-19 disease, while mitigating its economic and social consequences.
