Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced the establishment of a university institute in a city with a significant Roma population to study their language and culture, investigate their problems, and provide solutions. Relevant ministries will expedite their initiatives.
Erdoğan stated, "We have taken a very important step, especially in terms of housing. We built Roma housing through TOKİ (Housing Development Administration). These constructions are ongoing."
Like in many countries, the Roma community is among those most affected by years of urban transformation projects. Roma were relocated from their traditional neighborhoods to modern housing areas. The Roma in Istanbul's Sulukule district were forced to move from their centuries-old neighborhood and directed to luxury housing that few could afford.
According to estimates by the Council of Europe, the Roma population in Turkey ranges from 500,000 to 5 million, with Roma predominantly living in the Thrace, Aegean, and Marmara regions.
During the initiative known as the Roma opening in March 2010, Erdoğan promised to improve their conditions, particularly in housing, education, healthcare, and employment. Discriminatory language against Roma was removed from the laws.
However, discrimination continues. A letter recently sent to the Parliament by the Governor of Bursa, a province with a high Roma population, was also obtained by the media.
The letter stated, "Roma citizens generally do not have legal means of earning income through arts and professions, and as a result, they sustain their lives through drug sales or crimes such as theft, pickpocketing, and extortion."
The Budapest-based European Roma Rights Centre published a report on Turkey, stating, "Discrimination continues in access to employment, the education system, the healthcare system, and the housing market."
The report also noted that Roma students face discrimination in schools, resulting in low enrollment levels, high illiteracy, and high dropout rates from primary school, pushing them to work in informal sectors such as flower selling, street music, or scrap collecting.
In 2012, the Turkish Employment Agency İŞKUR provided temporary jobs and vocational training to approximately 1,300 Roma; however, this initiative received criticism for not being a long-term strategy to enhance their employability.
Roma activist Sezgin Büyüktuna emphasized that Roma face serious issues requiring comprehensive strategies rather than piecemeal improvements.
Speaking to SES Türkiye, Büyüktuna argued, "Urban transformation projects have resulted in disaster for Roma. They could not integrate into the distant neighborhoods allocated to them, where they could not perform their jobs. They even face serious discrimination while holding traditional weddings in their neighborhoods, and many are rejected when seeking housing."
Büyüktuna highlighted that employment remains a key issue and that municipalities need to take more responsibility in developing solutions.
"For example, in Ataşehir Municipality, where the Roma community is predominantly located in Istanbul, about 30 Roma are employed in waste collection or cleaning jobs, which can serve as an example for other municipalities to integrate these individuals into society with long-term jobs," he said.
Elmas Arus, the well-known Roma Director of the Istanbul-based Zero Discrimination Association, stated that changes and new laws will remain on paper unless supported by actionable plans and appropriate budgets. Arus added that municipalities could address unemployment with solutions specifically developed for this community.
Speaking to SES Türkiye, Arus said, "The Roma community in Turkey urgently needs an integrated strategy to break the cycle of poverty and solve various issues. For example, in Edirne, where many Roma live, the municipality provides advanced tools and machines for scrap collecting, enabling Roma to earn more money and improve their quality of life."
Ana Oprisan, a member of the Council of Europe's Roma Mediation Program (ROMED), stated, "A common mistake made in housing projects for vulnerable groups worldwide was also made in Turkey. The lack of survival mechanisms outside their community of origin - lack of resources and skills, lack of legally regulated employment to benefit from services - for Roma families who need protection the most and are most exposed to dangers should be addressed with integrated approaches."
Menekşe Tokyay
Source: SES Türkiye
http://turkey.setimes.com/tr/articles/ses/articles/reportage/2013/10/29/reportage-01
