MINELRES: Romania: Ethnic Diversity Briefs, No.24

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: Mediafax <divers@mediafax.ro>


---------------------------------------------------------------
No. 24 / September 23, 2002

DIVERS
- reporting ethnic diversity -

SUMMARY
1. ABOUT 1,500 YOUNG ROMA ENROLLED SPEACIAL SEATS IN HIGH SCHOOL
2. ROMA TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG THEIR OWN RANKS
3. BUCHAREST GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT ETHNIC ROMANIANS IN SERBIA
4. ROMANIA CONCERNED OVER PROPOSED UKRAINIAN STATUS LAW
----------------------------------------------------------------


ABOUT 1,500 YOUNG ROMA ENROLLED SPEACIAL SEATS IN HIGH SCHOOL
BUCHAREST - Around 85 percent of the special seats meant for Roma
students were occupied in vocational schools and high schools, according
to the data released by the Romanian Ministry of Education and Research
(MEC). This means that about 1,500 students of Roma ethnicity will go
high school in starting this autumn. The special seats have been
allotted by MEC based on positive discrimination strategy of Roma
ethnicity. Therefore, there have been given two seats as apportion for
each high school branch or specialization class in vocational schools
from the country. (DIVERS)

---------------------------------------------------------------------
ROMA TO COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING AMONG THEIR OWN RANKS
WARSAW - In a significant departure from previous practice, Roma
non-governmental organizations publicly acknowledged the involvement of
individuals of their ethnic group in trafficking in human beings and
expressed their determination to co-operate with national authorities to
combat this serious human rights and organized crime issue. The joint
declaration was adopted by Romani associations from Romania and France
on the margins of the OSCE's annual human rights conference in Warsaw
which ended last week. "This move paves the way for the involvement of
Roma civil society in state responses to trafficking and other forms of
illegal migration", said Nicolae Gheorghe, Roma and Sinti Adviser at the
OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), who
brokered the declaration. "By involving civil society we hope to ensure
that states do not take repressive measures only, but also address the
root causes that lead to Roma becoming victims of ruthless smugglers or
trafficking networks." Romani groups have been reluctant to acknowledge
the involvement of Roma in trafficking in human beings and other
organized crime activities out of fear for their security and to avoid
reinforcing existing stereotypes. The governments of France and Romania
recently agreed to clamp down on illegal immigration and organized crime
in reaction to a sharp increase of Romanian immigrants in France being
forced into prostitution or begging by organized crime gangs. Roma are
among those involved in these activities, both as victims and
perpetrators. In their declaration, the Roma associations announced the
establishment of a task force overseeing a set of activities aimed at
raising awareness among Roma of the numerous financial and security
risks connected to migration. They also agreed to promote a more
balanced coverage of Roma-related issues among the media in both
countries, and to work with the authorities to ensure that any
anti-immigration measures are fully in line with human rights standards.
(DIVERS)

------------------------------------------------------------------
BUCHAREST GOVERNMENT TO SUPPORT ETHNIC ROMANIANS IN SERBIA
VIRSET - Romanian Government announces measures for supporting the
activity of the Romanian community from Voivodina (Serbia), by taking
over for the short run a building in Virset downtown, which may become
the headquarters of the community. Romanian Prime Minister Adrian
Nastase on September 12 pointed out the proposal already reached
agreement within the talks he held with his Serbian counterpart Zoran
Djindjic and also with the major of Virset town. "The political
relations between Romania and Yugoslavia are meant to allow us solving
easily the Romanian community's issues ", said Nastase. The Romanian
Prime Minister also added that he would demand the Cabinet's members to
analyze the matters of Romanian community from Voivodina and to identify
solutions for them. (DIVERS)

------------------------------------------------------------------

ROMANIA CONCERNED OVER PROPOSED UKRAINIAN STATUS LAW
SUCEAVA - Chairman of the Romanian Senate Foreign Policy Commission,
Gheorghi Prisacaru, stated on September 16 he holds information that the
Ukrainian Parliament plans to pass a law as regards the statute of
Ukrainian ethnics living in the neighbor countries, following the
Hungarian pattern. Prisacaru expressed his hope that such a law should
not be enacted and that Ukrainian MPs will give account to the
recommendations provided by the European Council in Hungary matter. "We
expect for higher-availability from Hungarian party in terms of solving
a series of issues met by the Romanian minority in maintaining ethnical
and cultural identity ", said Prisacaru. He added that Romania fully
comply with the norms and recommendations enclosed to European documents
about national minorities, which makes the Ukrainian minority from
Romania enjoy in full of all possible rights, including representation
in the Parliament. (DIVERS)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

DIVERS is a weekly news bulletin edited by the Mediafax News Agency
with financial support from
Ethnocultural Diversity Resource Center (EDRC) in Cluj.
For now, the full version of the bulletin is only available in
Romanian and can be found at www.divers.ro
e-mail: divers@mediafax.ro