Throughout human history, there have been many nomadic groups. Some of them disappeared, others assimilated, and others are still around. The nomadic group I decided to investigate is the Gypsies, or Roma. I grew up in Greece and some Gypsies lived in my neighborhood. I always wondered where they came from and how they survived, since they were outcasts and lived under poor conditions, so I focused my research on the discrimination that these people face.
Today, there are approximately ten million Gypsies around the world. This number is only an estimation, since there are many who do not identify as Gypsies being afraid of the discrimination they will face. They are mainly dominant in the Balkans and according to historians, Gypsies origins are found in Northwest India. An interesting fact is that some Gypsies are still travelling in India which shows that they retain the nomadic lifestyle (Joncheere, Vandevelde, 2016). To make sure that the information was correct, I checked another source that had similar information. Romani/ Gypsies have 60 dialects, and according to some linguists, the dialects are very close to some Indian dialects, like Punjabi (Bela I. Melegh, Banfai, Hadzsiev, Miseta & Bela Melegh, 2017). The thing that confuses me the most, when it comes to Gypsies, is in fact naming them. I have heard multiple times that the appropriate name is Romany or Roma, and that Gypsies is seen as an insult. The term Gypsy is usually associated with a group of people that is poor and is only good in music, which communicates prejudice (Joncheere, Vandevelde, 2016).
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From my own experience, I know that in Greece, most if not all Gypsies are not documented, which let the adults and their children with no access to healthcare. According to studies, the life expectancy of Gypsies is much lower than the average of other European nations. Gypsies are more likely to develop diseases, and they have high rates of suicide. Also in a survey it was found that “Roma people were less likely to access dental services, cervical screening or immunizations; while identifying lack of documentation and affordability as barriers to accessing healthcare” (McFadden, Siebelt, Gavine, Atkin, Bell, Innes, Jones, Jackson, Haggi, MacGillivray, 2018). Healthcare in most European nations is free, so money is not the main reason why these people are not getting the healthcare they deserve. The main issue that was found in the study mentioned above was the lack of documentation. Hospitals cannot accept people without legal documents, and since Gypsies do not acquire that, they are denied healthcare (McFadden, Siebelt, Gavine, Atkin, Bell, Innes, Jones, Jackson, Haggi, MacGillivray, 2018). Someone would think that hospitals are a place where the employees (in this case doctors and nurses etc.), care only about the patient’s wellbeing. Turns out that Gypsies faced discrimination whenever they sought medical help. The hospitals were segregated and had separate rooms for Gypsies, doctors would be indifferent and at times offensive (McFadden, Siebelt, Gavine, Atkin, Bell, Innes, Jones, Jackson, Haggi, MacGillivray, 2018). Reading this brought an old memory in my head. When I was ten, my brother had to be hospitalized for a week and so I would spend a lot of time in the hospital. In the same room there was another girl with her mom that were Gypsies. Although they were not put in a different room, they were treated poorly. The nurse would not even ask the little girl how she felt or if she needed any help or had any questions. Instead, she would write all the orders in a paper, and leave. Documentation of Gypsies is very important not only for legislation, but also for providing them access to healthcare and a better life.
Discrimination against Gypsies goes back to World War II. Although there is nonexistent knowledge from most people about this incident, Gypsies suffered and went through similar punishments as the Jews. During 1422, Gypsies were not accepted in Italy and the immigrants who refused to leave, were executed (Giulia). Today, in Greece, people fear the Gypsies. They are characterized as thieves and criminals. This idea goes back to an Italian physician who characterized the Gypsies as reckless, savages and criminals (Giulia). When people hear the phrase “concentration camps” they immediately think of Jews. The truth is that a lot of Gypsies were forced to live in concentration camps. During Mussolini’s reign, Gypsies were forced to labor and had no right to acquire an Italian citizenship (Giulia). The history of discrimination against Gypsies reflects on how they are treated today. Just like in Greece, the Gypsies of Italy leave under poor conditions in nomad camps where education is not accessible. People need to know that the probation of education leads to the inability of these people to blend in the society (Giulia). As mentioned earlier, Gypsies have little to no health care. This affects their education as well. Gypsy children often get sick and unable to get help from a doctor, they do not attend school (Giulia). What is more shocking to me is that Italians do not want their children around Gypsy children (Giulia). One thing brings the other; no access to health-care leads to inability to attend school, which leads to failure of the completion of a degree, which then leads to the inability of the Gypsies to be part of the community, to have a better work and a better economic, social status.
The hatred towards Gypsies was enlarged in communist countries. As the general public was facing economic difficulties, Gypsies were to blame for everything (Brearly). This fact is indeed true. When I was in Greece and the economy started failing, Gypsies were the first people to blame. Greeks saw Gypsies as people who were “polluting” our society and who were a burden. They believed that the economy could be so much better without all these unemployed Gypsies that have nothing to offer in the society, but how did they expect them to offer something in society when they were not even allowed to be themselves? In the 1950s nomadism was not allowed, Roma language was banned, and self-employment was prohibited. Some countries like Czechoslovakia went so far with this, to the point where they sterilized women, so that they cannot reproduce. It is clear that they were trying to vanish Gypsies (Brearly). People tend to blame others for their bad actions, without thinking how they are to blame. For example, countries like Bulgaria treat Gypsies thieves inhumanly. Gypsies tend to steal food, because as mentioned above they were not allowed to work. The unemployment rates are up to 95% and in some countries 100%. Gypsies thieves are treated more brutally than any other thieves. They tied them to trees, they shot them, they tied them to tractors and beat them. And as if these were not enough, the punishments do not stop there. A Rom activist said: ‘“An individual mugging, rape or knife fight involving a single Rom can result in the burning of many or all houses of the whole Roma community”’ (Brearly). The anti-gypsyism or Romophobia, has led nations to pass unfair laws. In 1992 there was a secret law passed from Czech government to expel all Gypsies to Slovakia. Also, 100,000 Roma living in Czech could not acquire the citizenship, because the laws were so strict, and they could not meet them (Brearly). I’ve discussed the issues of not being documented earlier, but it is important to see again how important it is. Without documentation, Gypsies are not able to apply for social security or other benefits.
Bibliography
- McFadden, Alison, Lindsay Siebelt, Anna Gavine, Karl Atkin, Kerry Bell, Nicola Innes, Helen Jones, Cath Jackson, Haggi Haggi, and Steve MacGillivray. “Gypsy, Roma and Traveller Access to and Engagement with Health Services: a Systematic Review.” European journal of public health. U.S. National Library of Medicine, February 1, 2018. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29346666.
- Poll, Giulia “THE RIGHT TO EDUCATION FOR GYPSIES AS A FIRST STEP TO INCLUSION: ITALIAN LEGAL FRAMEWORK FROM THE SECOND WORLD WAR TO TODAY, COMPARED WITH THE APPROACH OF SPAIN AND FRANCE.” ILSA Journal of International & Comparative Law. Fall2018, Vol. 25 Issue 1, p89-116. 28p.
- Okely, Judith. The Traveller-Gypsies. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002.
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