Sinti, Roma Face Systemic Prejudice in Germany; Europe's Largest Minority Group

[appalachiablue]

- Despite all the progress made, the Sinti and Roma minority has not achieved education equality in Germany.
___________

- 'Sinti, Roma face systemic prejudice in Germany.' DW, Feb. 28, 2021. Some 76 years after the Nazi genocide that aimed to wipe out Germany's Sinti and Roma communities, there has been progress in education equality for Europe's largest minority group — but discrimination remains.

"You're nothing, you can't do anything, you're the bottom of the pile." That's what members of Germany's Sinti and Roma communities have been told for centuries, sometimes openly and sometimes subtly, said Sebastijan Kurtisi.
As one of the interviewers for the latest RomnoKher study, Kurtisi surveyed Sinti and Roma people living in Germany, among them both Germans and immigrants. RomnoKher is the nationwide association of Sinti and Roma for the promotion of culture and education, and the study — which involved 614 interviews — was funded by the foundation "Remembrance, Responsibility and Future."

Like all the interviewers, Kurtisi is himself a member of Europe's largest minority group. There are an estimated 6.3 million people in the European Union, who speak the language Romani. EU member states are required to actively promote the group's participation in the education system. The vast majority of all respondents in the study believe this promotion is necessary, with over 80% considering education very important.

'Why do they think I am like this?' Sebastijan Kurtisi was born in Macedonia, grew up in Serbia and graduated from a technical school before migrating to Germany with his parents when he was 17. He now has a German passport. In the western city of Aachen, he worked on the development of desulfurization plants, and now he coaches people who face special social challenges. At some point, he realized just how many prejudices there are about the Sinti and Roma. "My people are only thieves, musicians, fortune-tellers, and beggars? Why do they think I'm like that?" he asked. The authors of the study refer to racism, antiziganism and discrimination. Some 40% of respondents reported discrimination against their children — including in the classroom — by teachers and fellow students.

Two-thirds of all respondents feel discriminated against because they belong to a minority, including in the education system. But in those schools where teachers had high expectations for Roma and Sinti children, they achieved higher educational qualifications on average. Interviewer Manja Schuecker-Weiss, herself a German Sintesa, has seen this in her work. She told DW about the mother of a student with a German name who was treated quite normally on the phone. When she and her husband appeared at the school, with "dark hair, dark skin [and] wearing a skirt," strange questions were asked. Suddenly the boy had to go to remedial classes, even though he was getting good grades...

More, https://www.dw.com/en/sinti-roma-face-systemic-prejudice-in-germany/a-56704389
_____________

- Sintis and Romas Gain Minority Status, DW, 2005,
https://www.dw.com/en/sintis-and-romas-gain-minority-status/a-1659619

[niyad]

1. Thank you for this most informative article.

[appalachiablue]

2. Heartbreaking to see in this age, esp. the children.

[niyad]

3. It is indeed. One would hope we had evolved beyond this hatred and ugliness.

[Solly Mack]

4. K&R