MINELRES: UN Condemns Germany for Forcible Expulsions of Roma

[MINELRES moderator]

Original sender: European Roma Rights Center <errc@errc.org>


Children's Rights Committee Concerned at Expulsions of Romani Children
February 5, 2004

The European Roma Rights Center (ERRC) welcomes the Concluding 
Observations, published this week, of the United Nations Committee on
the Rights of the Child, concerning matters related to Germany's record
on child rights issues. The Committee expressed concern that Romani
children may be forcefully expelled to countries from which their
families have fled, and recommended that German authorities "take all
necessary measures to review its legislation and policies regarding Roma
children and other children belonging to ethnic minorities seeking
asylum in the State party."

Speaking on the occasion of the release of the Committee's findings, Mr
Boris Tsilevich, a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council
of Europe involved in the investigation of the forcible expulsion of
Roma from Germany to Serbia and Montenegro, said, "The Committee's
conclusions are very important. Our work has caused us deep concern
about Germany's respect for children's rights where Romani children are
at issue."

In recent years, the German government has carried out high numbers of
forcible expulsions of Roma to countries in Central and Southeastern
Europe, notably Serbia and Montenegro and Romania. German authorities
have expelled Romani children who have been born in Germany, have
attended German schools for significant periods of time, and who have
formed real and lasting ties to Germany. In the extreme case, German
officials have expelled Roma and others regarded as "Gypsies" to Kosovo,
despite serious concerns that such persons are under threat of
persecution in the province.

Many of the Romani families currently being expelled from Germany have
been in Germany for more than a decade, sheltered under a temporary
protection mechanism called "tolerated" ("duldung"). The repeated
provision of extremely short-term "duldung" status has effectively
prevented tens of thousands of foreign Roma in Germany from integration
in Germany.

ERRC Executive Director Dimitrina Petrova, commenting on the UN
committee's findings, said, "We turn to the UN on Fortress Europe
matters, because justice is for the most part out of reach for Romani
migrants abused in 
Europe."

The Concluding Observations of the Committee on Germany's compliance
with the Convention on the Rights of the Child are available at: 
http://www.ohchr.org/tbru/crc/Germany.pdf. 
Written comments on Roma rights issues in Germany submitted by the ERRC
to the Committee can be accessed 
at: http://errc.org/news.shtml

_____________________________________________

The European Roma Rights Center is an international public interest law 
organisation which monitors the rights of Roma and provides legal
defence in cases of human rights abuse. For more information about the
European Roma Rights Center, visit the ERRC on the web at
http://www.errc.org.

European Roma Rights Center
1386 Budapest 62
P.O. Box 906/93
Hungary

Phone: +36 1 4132200
Fax:   +36 1 4132201

_____________________________________________

SUPPORT THE ERRC!

The European Roma Rights Center is dependent upon the generosity of
individual donors for its continued existence. If you believe the ERRC
performs a service valuable to the public, please join in enabling its
future with a contribution. Gifts of all sizes are welcome; bank
transfers are preferred. Please send your contribution to:

European Roma Rights Center
Budapest Bank Rt.
99P00402686
1054 Budapest
Bathory utca 1
Hungary

For correspondence, to subscribe and unsubscribe from this list, please
use 
office@errc.org.