On July 2, 2014, a meeting of Roma organizations with Miriam Karloli, Senior Adviser on Roma and Sinti Issues at the Council of Europe’s Development Bank, took place in Kyiv.
Participants in the meeting included representatives from the “Roma Council of Ukraine” in Kharkiv, Lviv, Zaporizhia, and Kherson; the head of the Roma Human Rights Center in Odessa; Roma mediators; and representatives of the NGO “Chirikli.” Representatives from international organizations, the United States Embassy, the French Embassy in Ukraine, OSCE, the World Health Organization, the State Contact Center, and others were invited to the event.
The main objective of the event was to gather information about the current situation of internally displaced Roma, identify key problems and needs, and accumulate resources from interested parties to provide assistance to Roma IDPs.
Representatives of Roma organizations and Roma mediators highlighted the high level of negative attitudes towards Roma from the majority of the population. This is one of the reasons why Roma are not resettled together with other IDPs and why they are not welcomed in villages and small towns. Additionally, Roma arrive with large families that need to be resettled together, which is challenging.
Many Roma have lost their documents or never had them, which hinders their registration as IDPs and access to state aid. Some Roma are afraid to register as internal migrants due to fears of future persecution, especially upon returning to eastern regions.
The problems of Roma IDPs have been taken on by Roma organizations and volunteers. Local authorities in most cases are unable to provide housing and other forms of assistance to Roma (they are not resettled, not registered, and not provided with medical care). Roma settle in tents along riverbanks, near bodies of water, in forests, or parks. This seriously affects their health, especially that of children. In Kharkiv, one of the Roma IDPs died from pneumonia. Many Roma have infants without vaccinations, and birth certificates are needed for infants who were born during displacement.
Roma require medications, hygiene kits, clothing, and suitable housing (with water and electricity, etc.).
To coordinate actions and unite the resources of all parties involved in providing assistance to Roma IDPs, participants in the working meeting decided to create a Coordinating Council/Group for work with Roma IDPs. This group included representatives from the “Roma Council of Ukraine” in Kharkiv, Lviv, Zaporizhia, and Kherson; the head of the Roma Human Rights Center in Odessa, Roma mediators, representatives of the NGO “Chirikli,” and representatives of the World Health Organization in Ukraine.
The Center’s work will be coordinated by the NGO “Chirikli” in cooperation with the World Health Organization in Ukraine.
