For centuries, the Roma have been part of the European cultural landscape. The members of ethnic group are also often the victims of discrimination and prejudice, particularly in times of economic crisis. One example of discrimination prominent in Europe is the segregation of Roma children in public schools.
The EU and national governments have passed laws prohibiting segregation of schools (such as the Racial Equality Directive) and an anti-segregation stance has been held up by the European Court of Human Rights in a handful of cases. However, legal reviews suggest that no European or national court has ever issued orders to end the segregation of schools and few policies aim at addressing the principal means through which it is taking place. In effect, a recent report of the FP7 “Accept Realism” project on segregation indicators has found that the segregation of Roma children is a persistent reality across Europe.
Although a common assumption is that integration efforts might help communities prevent and confront racist attitudes, the report suggests that these actions may not reach the desired effect or even backfire on the long run. They suggest considering policy approaches aiming at the valorisation of Roma cultural distinctiveness to improve relationships between the communities, such as the involvement of intercultural mediators, intercultural education and bussing, a service offering the transportation of minority children to majority schools. However, the report’s authors point out that policies narrowly focusing on desegregation have little hope in efficiently solving the problem. What’s needed is a fundamental culture shift: racism against the Roma needs to be confronted and eliminated both in popular attitudes and political discourse.