08/04/2013 President
Strasbourg, 05.04.2013 – “Discrimination against Roma in Europe starts even before they are born, due to a lack of adequate prenatal and maternal health care,” said Nursuna Memecan (Turkey, ALDE), Rapporteur on ending discrimination against Roma children of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), speaking on International Roma Day 2013.
“All too often it will accompany them throughout their lives, because of poor infant healthcare, statelessness, poverty, inadequate housing conditions, unequal access to education or work, and a greater risk of being subjected to bullying, violence and trafficking,” said Mrs Memecan.
“Given that half the Roma population in Europe is under 18 years of age, it becomes even more urgent to break the vicious circle of discrimination and give Roma children an equal start in life so that they are in a position to contribute to the workforce and take part in economic activity in Europe as professionals in various fields.”
“Being more integrated into society, they can act as bridges to promote tolerance and diversity on the continent. By engaging in political and social activism, they can spearhead the task of improving the situation of the Roma and other disadvantaged communities in Europe.”
The Assembly will hold a plenary debate on ending discrimination against Roma children on Tuesday 23 April 2013.