Situation of roma women

• Author: Chryso Pelekani, Loizos Symeou
• Pages: 12-15

12

SITUATION OF ROMA WOMEN

Definition of the problem

Roma women across Europe face racism, discrimination and marginalisation.12The low

levels of education completed by Roma women, their high rates of school dropout, non-

completion of compulsory education, high unemployment rates, and the poor available

employment opportunities deprive Roma women and girls of opportunities to participate

fully in society. These phenomena are observed among Cypriot Roma women as well.

Among the very few targeted policy measures specifically for Cypriot Roma, which apply

only to housing and education, none target Roma women specifically.

Background of the problem

As mentioned in previous reports, Roma who live in the settlements of Cyprus are isolated

from the rest of society and have problems accessing education, health care, employment

and other related services.13 The main reason for the isolation of the Cypriot Roma is the

antigypsyism they have experienced since their first arriving to Cyprus after travel

restrictions across the demarcation line were eased in 2003. At that time, the Greek

Cypriots (G/C) reacted negatively to their arrival because the Roma were meant to take

up residence in empty Turkish Cypriot (T/C) houses. Due to these reactions, Cyprus

offered prefabricated houses for the Roma, built far away from the G/Cs in order to avoid

confrontations. This policy of building prefabricated housing units for Roma in remote areas

with limited access to public services promotes the practice of de facto segregation.14 As

a result, Cypriot Roma live in ghettos and are still alienated from mainstream society

today.

Increasing antigypsyism in Cyprus is associated with the mobility of Roma families. This

negatively impacts the safety of Roma women and girls, making them increasingly

vulnerable to social exclusion, exploitation, trafficking and violence.

As mentioned in the introduction, the estimated number of Cypriot Roma is about 1,250.

Due to the division of the country after the Turkish military invasion of Cyprus and the

lack of control by the RoC over the northern areas of the country, as well as the frequent

movement of a significant number of Cypriot Roma from one side of the demarcation line

to the other, it is very hard to estimate Roma population numbers in Cyprus. Therefore,

demographic data about them, including gender distribution, age distribution, and socio-

economic status cannot be provided at the moment. According to Pelekani’s observations

(April 2020), in Limassol there are about 12 Roma families (50 people) in the Polemidia

area, and 50 families (around 200 people) in the Agios Andonios area, while in Paphos

there are about 30 families (120-150 people).

According to the authors’ field research, regardless of the availability of social assistance

and the Guaranteed Minimum Income (GMI), the average number of children per family

amongst the Roma population in Cyprus has seen a decrease compared to its historical

size. The maximum number of children in a Roma family today is four, compared to

previous generations where Roma families had as many as eight children. For economic

reasons, Roma families today prefer to have no more than two or three children. There

are also some Roma families who do not benefit from the GMI even though they are long-

term unemployed and poor. This is due to the fact that not all the Cypriot Roma are

12Strategy on the advancement of Romani women and girls (2014-2020). Available at:

https://rm.coe.int/16806f32ff (Retrieved on 2 December 2019)

13Ibid. Available at: https://rm.coe.int/16806f32ff (Retrieved on 2 December 2019)

14 ECRI report on Cyprus, available on the website: https://rm.coe.int/fifth-report-on-cyprus-greek-

translation-/16808b563d (Retrieved on 9 November 2018).