News

The Dosta! campaign is inviting schools from Ukraine and Moldova to participate in a competition called “Music against stereotypes” : set your mind in motion and make a creative song (music & lyrics) breaking down stereotypes and prejudices against Roma.

The School Music competition aims to promote successful songs, by giving visibility to the work of the selected participants through the Dosta! campaign website.

A jury composed of Council of Europe/European Commission and Roma experts in the field will select the best songs. Contributions will be judged according to their creativity and originality, as well as their capacity to convey the Dosta! campaign messages.

Eligibility

The competition is open to all schools in Moldova and Ukraine.

Awards

The jury will award the two best songs. The winners will be invited to a Festival “Youth and Art against prejudices” to take place before the summer.

Joint statement of the EU Fundamental Rights Agency and the Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights on the Durban review conference.

Do not miss the opportunity to step up the global fight against racism and discrimination!

The Council of Europe's Commissioner for Human Rights and the Director of the European Union's Fundamental Rights Agency jointly call on European governments to remain engaged in the preparations for a United Nations review conference against racism in April 2009.

"Racism is a global phenomenon. No country, no region, is free of this social ill - including the European countries", say Thomas Hammarberg, Commissioner for Human Rights of the Council of Europe, and Morten Kjaerum, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA).

Media training on Roma minority and ethical reporting
Chisinau, Moldova, March 2009

Within the framework of the joint Council of Europe/European Commission Dosta! campaign to fight against stereotypes towards Roma, a media training is going to take place in Chisinau, Moldova.

The training will mainly target media professionals and will focus on communication and reporting, as well as on Roma cultural features and traditions in order to approach Roma issues, culture and traditions avoiding stereotyping information.

The training is also open to governmental officials in charge of Roma issues at National or municipal level, who wish to improve their capacity to address journalists and the majority population about the need for targeted actions for Roma.

Speech by Terry Davis, Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Strasbourg, 24 November 2008

Last week, there were two developments of importance to Roma and Travellers in Europe.

The first development was positive. Last Wednesday, the Ministers’ Deputies renewed the Partnership Agreement between the Council of Europe and the European Roma and Travellers Forum for one year.

The second event, however, was much more ominous.

Campaign for Eliminating Prejudice Against Roma Launched 
18/11/2008 - STA / Slovenia
 

A campaign aimed at bridging the gap between the Roma and the majority population was launched in Ljubljana on Monday. Parliamentary Speaker Pavel Gantar said on the occasion that he was convinced that the campaign would contribute to better understanding between cultures and eliminate many prejudices.

Gantar is proud that the campaign was first launched in Slovenia, he is however displeased that such a campaign is necessary, as living in harmony in a modern society like Slovenia should seem natural.

Head of the Government Office for Nationalities Stanko Baluh said that the campaign dubbed "Dosta! Enough! Go beyond Prejudice, discover the Roma!".

aimed at freeing people of prejudices and stereotypes and wants to show who Roma people actually are.

Prize for Municipalities - Call for participation

The competition for the Dosta!-Congress Prize for Municipalities is now open. 
This second edition follows last year’s successful launch by the Dosta! campaign and the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities as part of their ongoing work to strengthen the role of local authorities in the field of Roma and minority rights’ protection.
 

The Dosta!-Congress Prize is awarded to three municipalities from Council of Europe member States whose creative and innovative initiatives most effectively ensure diversity in community life and the active democratic participation of the Roma. 
 

The top three projects will receive the Dosta!-Congress of Local and Regional Authorities award during a ceremony in Strasbourg on the occasion of the Congress’ 16th Plenary Session at the headquarters of the Council of Europe.

Deadline for sending applications: 12 November 2008

Thomas Hammarberg, Human Rights Commissioner, Council of Europe: The shameful history of anti-Gypsism is forgotten - and repeated
 
18//08/08 - Only a few thousand Roma in Germany survived the Holocaust and the concentration camps. They faced enormous difficulties when trying to build up their lives again, having lost so many of their family members and relatives, and having had their properties destroyed or confiscated. Many of them had their health ruined. When some of them tried to obtain compensation, their claims were rejected for years.
 
For these survivors no justice came with the post-Hitler era. Significantly, the mass killing of the Roma people was not an issue at the Nürnberg trial. The genocide of the Roma – Samudaripe or Porrajmos – was hardly recognised in the public discourse.

Roma rights are violated every day in Europe. Roma workers are refused jobs, their children are refused places in school. Roma community is often considered marginal and traditional, therefore they are more likely to suffer
social exclusion.
In reality, the Roma can be considered to be the first European people, since they “broke” European borders a long time before any international treaty or Convention existed. They travelled all around Europe enriching their culture with that of the visited countries, enriching European cultural heritage at the same time.
 

The Council of Europe is Europe’s guardian of human rights, its duty being to make sure everyone’s rights are respected. “Dosta!” is therefore an awareness raising campaign aiming to fight the discrimination which Roma suffer from because of widespread anti-Gypsyism.
 

Italy: “Immigration policy must be based on human rights principles and not only on perceived security concerns”, says Commissioner Hammarberg presenting a special report

Strasbourg, 29.07.2008 – “Concern about security cannot be the only basis for immigration policy. Measures now being taken in Italy lack human rights and humanitarian principles and may spur further xenopohobia,”. With these words, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Thomas Hammarberg, published a report based on his special visit to Rome 19 and 20 June. The visit took place following a series of anti-Roma and anti-Sinti protests, which were occasionally very violent, and the rapid adoption or preparation of legislation, which notably aimed to introduce further controls of the freedom of movement of Roma and Sinti, the criminalisation of irregular immigration and additional restrictions on immigration.

The Council of Europe is organising the 2nd edition of the film festival “The fortnight of Roma cinema” , on 11-25 June 2008, in Strasbourg, to celebrate the art, culture and contribution to European society of the Roma.

Internationally celebrated film maker Tony Gatlif (Gadjo Dilo, Latcho Drom, Swing, Transylvania, Exiles among others), will participate in a public forum on 16 June about the Roma, some 10 million European citizens found in almost all Council of Europe member states – and often the target of racist attack and public disdain.

The two-week festival will feature nine critically acclaimed films at the Odyssée cinema in Strasbourg. Council of Europe representatives and experts will be on hand for discussions after certain times.

The ambassador of Finland, whose country has donated much to help make the festival possible will participate.