9 Sep :European Commission and Italian government should be more respectful to their Roma population instead of continuing to marginalise them socially, Rajan Zed, acclaimed Hindu statesman, stated in Nevada (USA) today.
Talking about controversial census of Roma population in Italy and the recent official backing given to it by European Commission, Zed said that Roma lived in apartheid like conditions in Europe. Instead of targeting Roma population for blaming, European governments should work for improving their plight.
Rajan Zed, who is president of Universal Society of Hinduism, said that it was moral obligation of Europe to take care of its largest minority Roma population and stop human rights violations suffered by them, who numbered around ten million and were the most disadvantaged. There seemed to be no coherent and effective policy to assimilate them into the society.
Their alarming condition is a social blight for Europe and the rest of the world as they reportedly regularly face social exclusion, racism, substandard education, hostility, joblessness, rampant illness, inadequate housing, lower life expectancy, unrest, living on desperate margins, language barriers, stereotypes, mistrust, rights violations, discrimination, marginalization, appalling living conditions, prejudice, human rights abuse, racist slogans on Internet, unusually high unemployment rates, etc., Rajan Zed argues.
Roma inclusion and integration programs need to immediately take off the ground providing them with better health and education avenues, higher economic opportunities, sources of empowerment and participation, etc. Expand their access to preschool education, let their children attend mainstream schools and launch awareness campaigns. Available Roma workforce, if utilized effectively, can bring unexpected economic gains to Europe, Zed says.