Civil society reaches out to Roma
With European support, local organizations are looking for solutions to the problems faced by Roma.
The Swedish Embassy in Ankara is funding a local study to find solutions to the problems faced by Turkey’s Roma population, looking at how similar problems have been solved in Europe.
The Romidita project, which means “research” in Romani, was developed by the Turkey-based Zero Discrimination Association and the Social Change Association. The organizers hope that their research will help the public understand Roma and generate ideas on how to improve their living conditions.
“The problems of Roma in Turkey are just starting to come to the agenda. In this project, we will address the problems of housing, employment, health, education and social discrimination of Roma,” Elmas Arus, the head of the Zero Discrimination Association, told SES Turkey. “In the context of these problems, how have similar problems of Roma in Europe been solved? Can the same solutions be applied in Turkey? And if not, what kind of a model can be applied to Turkey? We want to see these.”
Arus, who is Roma herself, said that she was subjected to social exclusion when she was growing up.
Arus continued his words as follows: "The Roma people in Turkey are made up of Rom, Dom and Lom. However, these people are discriminated against by the general public by calling them gypsies. There has been a Roma initiative in Turkey, but it has not yet been a solution to the problems of the Roma. It is also very important for the state to voice the problems of the Roma. Because this will help the society accept them. The European Union also wants developments in its relations with Turkey regarding Roma rights."
The government's press center directed SES Turkey to the publication covering the government's programs supporting the Roma. Since the center does not have permission to speak to the press, this employee did not want his name to be published.
The information provided by the press spokesperson brought up the 9 million Euro program allocated for EU-supported programs targeting the Roma, called the Social Integration and Improvement of Employability of Disadvantaged Persons. According to the ministry’s study, the funds are aimed at supporting civil society organizations run by Roma, increasing job opportunities, helping Roma access identity documents and social services, and increasing collaborative solutions to the problems faced by Roma.
Most of the Roma, who have a population of approximately 5 million in Turkey, have difficulty finding regular jobs. Arus said they usually have to work as shoeshine workers, street vendors or garbage collectors.
A woman named Hanife Alıç, who lives in the Balat district of Istanbul, said she has difficulty supporting her five children.
“My biggest problem is unemployment. My husband is a shoeshine worker and sometimes he comes home without earning any money,” Alıç told SES Türkiye. “I have a 20-year-old son, who also looks for all kinds of work but cannot find any. If cleaning jobs come up, I sometimes go and clean the shops. We cannot pay our bills, our rent, or anything. If the neighbors put bread in the neighborhood, we eat.”
A 50-year-old resident of Balat, Ümmiye Yaş, used similar expressions to Alıç.
"My children, even my grandchildren; we have always been excluded because we are Roma. People call us gypsies. We are not gypsies. I see people on the street, people point to us and tell their children not to be naughty or we will give you to the gypsies," Yaş told SES Türkiye.
"Because of these exclusions, our children do not want to go to school. My child goes to primary school. He does not look like us at all, but other children do not let him play at school because he is a gypsy. Then why don't Roma study? Why don't they get good places? Why don't they have jobs? We can't even go to school..."
Arus hopes that the Swedish-funded research program will support the solution of these and other problems that Roma face, including housing and urban transformation.
"With this project, we want to prepare real action plans for Roma," Arus said. "We will determine the social needs of Roma. We will start from the Roma's own solution proposals for their own problems. If we want to live in a more democratic, better Turkey, this will only happen if the Roma's problems are also solved."
Evrim Kurdoğlu
02.07.2014
