Permanent National Observatory
Europe - Italy
Italian Permanent National Observatory for the defence of basic rights and the counteracting of discrimination against the Rom and Sinti communities.
Type of project:
The project, as part of the initiatives for the “2007 European Year of Equal Opportunities”, aims to contribute to the process of non-discrimination and defence of the rights of the Rom and Sinti population in Italy, in line with the European policies and recommendations regarding the defence and social promotion of what is by far the largest ethnic minority in Europe (over 10 million people) and the one with the deepest historical roots.
City / Location:
Italy - Milan, Pavia, Turin, Genoa, Reggio Emilia, Rome
Direct beneficiaries:
Women and children of these communities in the different cities involved in the project.
Local staff:
1
Starting date:
2006
Summary of the Project:
The project - promoted in collaboration with private organisations (associations, local branches of Opera Nomadi, social cooperatives) working directly in Rom and Sinti camps and communities in the various cities involved in the project - seeks to help build up a spirit of networking and sharing information and projects, in order to promote the spread of good tried and tested practices, to improve the quality of interventions (on both a local and an inter-regional scale) and to stimulate local and central government to develop coherent and effective social policies against the discrimination, marginalisation and racism that often affect these communities.
To this end, the project plans to establish a network, starting with the involvement of 5 different regions, by means of: an initial social research and mapping programme in the different regions; the creation of an Internet portal, which will become a place of information and exchange between the different organisations working in this field on a national level; the organisation of training seminars and refresher courses for workers and directors of existing associations and services.
Initially, attention will focus particularly on difficulties and plans regarding means of access and accessibility of education, social and health services, thus with a particular eye to women and children.
Co-financing bodies:
The Italian Cabinet of Ministers – Department for Equal Opportunities (UNAR)
Project name: Italian Permanent National Observatory for the defence of basic rights and the counteracting of discrimination against the Rom and Sinti communities.
Duration: 12 months