According to research conducted by the European Roma Rights Centre (ERRC)
in the beginning of 2014, children of many Roma in France have restricted
access to primary education. More than half of those surveyed are out of
school. The ERRC calls on French authorities to provide the children of Roma
EU citizens with access to education.
The ERRC conducted participatory field research in six informal Romani
settlements (in Seine-Saint-Denis, Marseille, and Lille), including
interviews with 118 EU Romani citizens. The research was conducted with the
active participation of six Romani women from Romania living in France.
The research shows that Roma who have moved to France from other EU
Member States are exposed to high levels of discrimination and stereotyping
resulting in the violations of their rights, notably the rights of their
children.
”For my part, I did everything that was necessary and possible to enrol
my child in school. We provided all the documents and papers. It’s the mayor
that blocks the situation. Because they are Roma children, they treat them
differently” – stated a mother in Aulnay Sous Bois during an interview with
the ERRC.
Less than half of the children of EU Romani citizens interviewed during
this research are attending schools in France. According to interviews
conducted by the ERRC, in most (60%) of the cases this was due to refusal of
local officials, mostly French mayors, to enrol Romani children in school.
This is despite the fact that French law makes it compulsory for all
children between the ages of 6 and 16, French and foreign, to attend school.
“Refusal to enrol children is in direct violation of the national and
international obligations of France. It also jeopardises the future of these
children, diminishes their employment opportunities, and further aggravates
the social exclusion of these Romani communities” – said Rob Kushen, the
Chair of the Board of the ERRC.
On average the Roma EU citizens surveyed had been evicted six times since
they arrived in France. These evictions are also detrimental to the
situation of Romani children. Parents expressed their deep concerns that
evictions cause psychological damage to their children and disrupt schooling.
The ERRC calls on the French authorities to investigate all reported
instances of refusal to enrol Romani children, pursue sanctions against
offending mayors, and provide support and information to Romani communities
regarding the enrolment of their children. Authorities and courts should
ensure that the best interests of children are a primary consideration in
the context of any eviction.
