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Roma children's right to education
Despite great advancements, many children in Europe still do not get their right to basic education fulfilled. This right comprises more than having a school to go to; it also includes education of good quality. Children should learn in a safe and stimulating school environment, where pupils and teachers respect each other. Children who live in institutions should have access to education, health care and reintegration into society. This has a bearing on hundreds of thousands of children and young people still living their whole lives in institutions, particularly in the Central and Eastern parts of Europe.
Bullying and other forms of discrimination and violence are on the top of children’s agenda across Europe.
The former UN Special rapporteur on Education pointed out that the right to education has been converted into a long term goal rather than preserved as the right of any child from birth. Education is perceived as government expenditure that needs to be legitimized as a poverty reduction.
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Roma children’s right to education
Roma children make up almost half of the 6 to 12 million Roma population in Europe. The Roma population is grossly overrepresented among the poorest and most excluded people in Central, East and Southeast Europe. Roma culture is not respected and the surrounding society’s perceptions of Roma are based on stereotypes and prejudices.
The Roma population is still denied human rights in many European countries, and remains far behind the majority population in education, employment, housing and health standards with virtually no political representation. Many Roma children remain outside national education systems and the dropout rate is huge. There are many reasons for this – however, Roma children's own voices of their situation are seldom heard and documented.
Primary education is formally free, but it costs to buy clothes, books or to contribute to the running of the school. These obstacles, caused by poverty and discrimination, result in parents not sending their children to school, even though most Roma parents consider education important for their children.
Other major problems are that some countries place Roma children in special schools or classes for pupils with intellectual disabilities or that the school lacks material in the children's own language or trained teachers from Roma communities. The presence of Roma class assistants in some schools has produced positive results, which gives hope for the future.
Roma boys tend to be better educated then their female peers. Early marriages or scarce resources make girls drop out. However, experiences show that boys marry early too and therefore leave school.
Save the Children Sweden Europe Programme works together with Anti-Discrimination Centre Memorial, Save the Children in Albania and Save the Children in Kosovo to improve the situation for Roma children.
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