Report on Roma youth: 2/3 of them face discrimination in education
According to a report prepared by the Zero Discrimination Association, approximately 2 out of every 3 Roma youth are subjected to discrimination in educational environments.
02 February Thursday 2023 Time: 10:15Updated: 04 February Saturday 2023 Time: 03:49
DUVAR - The “These Roma are Always Like This - Discrimination Experienced by Roma Youth in Education and Employment” report prepared by the Zero Discrimination Association with the support of the Etkiniz AB Program has been published.
The report, which includes findings on the discrimination experienced by Roma (Roma, Dom, Lom and Abdal) youth living in Turkey in educational and working environments, also includes a series of recommendations. In the report, the findings regarding educational and working environments were analyzed and the discrimination experienced by Roma youth was presented with the basis.
ROMA CHILDREN AND YOUTH CANNOT ACCESS EDUCATION
The report, prepared with the findings obtained from the interviews conducted with 105 Roma youth (97 surveys, 8 in-depth interviews) between the ages of 15-25 from 8 different provinces of Turkey (Diyarbakır, Edirne, Hatay, İstanbul, İzmir, Gaziantep, Uşak and Artvin), shows that the rate of Roma children and youth disconnecting from education is high. Of the 95 youth who participated in the interviews, 28 dropped out of school, and 56 youth stated that they took at least half a semester off from education. The main reasons for young people dropping out of school are economic difficulties and exclusion-discrimination.
Another finding that emerged in the report is discrimination in educational environments. Of the 95 youth who participated in the interviews, 61, or approximately 2 out of every 3 youth, stated that they were subjected to discrimination in educational environments such as schools.
When asked who discriminated against them in educational settings, the majority of young people answered "by my friends or their families." 71 out of 95 people stated that they were discriminated against by their friends or families. 17 young people said that they were discriminated against by their teachers.
The most important reason for the discrimination that young people face in school environments is ethnic identity. 57 young people think that they are discriminated against because of their ethnicity.
MORE THAN HALF OF THE YOUTH ARE NOT EMPLOYED
Another data that emerged within the scope of the monitoring study is the employment rates of young people. More than half of the young people interviewed are not employed. 50 out of 97 young people stated that they are not working. 23 of the young people who are employed do not have a regular job or social security. There are many reasons why young people are not employed. The most important reasons for this are low education level, job search processes and exclusion-discrimination encountered in work environments.
Of the 64 young people interviewed, 22 said they were subjected to discrimination during their job search. 10 said they were asked whether they were Roma during their job interviews. The number of young people who said they were subjected to discrimination in their work environment was 21. 18 of these young people said they were subjected to discrimination in their work environment due to their ethnic identity.
The conclusion section of the report included important recommendations on discrimination, education, employment, youth policy and related intersections based on the findings and demands of young people. Some of these recommendations are as follows:
- The most important demand of Roma young people is to increase their participation in decision-making mechanisms.
- In the process of preparing the Strategic Action Plan for Roma Citizens, the participation of young people should be ensured meaningfully and specific strategies should be determined for young people.
- It is critical to ensure the inclusion of groups from Roma Communities and, in particular, young people with different needs (young women, disabled people, etc.) in policy-making processes that will be designed with the participation of young people.
- Young people demand that decision makers combat discrimination and enact a discrimination law and give deterrent punishments for discrimination. (NEWS CENTER)
