Addressing Structural Roma Poverty in the EU: A Human Rights Imperative

Roma communities across Europe continue to face some of the highest levels of poverty and social exclusion, driven not by individual circumstances but by structural discrimination, antigypsyism, and inherited social hierarchies. The document highlights how 70% of Roma people remain at risk of poverty compared to 16% of the general EU population, and how deprivation…

Status of Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent: The situation of Roma women in Europe

Roma women across Europe continue to face deep structural inequalities shaped by antigypsyism, gender discrimination, and socioeconomic exclusion. Drawing on data from multiple European countries, the report highlights challenges in accessing healthcare, education, employment, and protection from gender-based and institutional violence. Despite their vital role in communities, Roma women remain largely absent from national strategies…

When a Roma speaks at UN, the world listens: Interview with Roma academic-activist Simona Torotcoi

When a Roma speaks at UN, the world listens: Interview with Roma academic-activist Simona Torotcoi

In July 2024, Simona Torotcoi addressed the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development, a subdivision of both the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Economic and Social Council, responsible for the entire organisation’s policy on sustainable development. Simona, a Roma from Romania and currently working with the ERGO Network, is a part of…

CDWD’s Simona Torotcoi addresses HLPF on how science & tech can empower community

CDWD’s Simona Torotcoi addresses HLPF on how science & tech can empower community

Distinguished delegates, my name is Simona Torotcoi, I am a Roma from Romania from ERGO Network, and I am part of the Communities Discriminated on Work and Descent, experiencing similar forms of discrimination with the Quilambola and Palenque in Brazil and Colombia, the Roma in Europe, the Dalits in South Asia, the Haratins and others in…