Roma communities are tired of being “poor relatives” and accuse the government of inattention due to the lack of definition of a state body responsible for solving their problems, and also criticize the timing of the new national strategy.
In a conversation with Lusa, Associação Vice President Letras Nómadas said that this dissatisfaction and criticism is expressed in a manifesto signed by nine associations, which will be transmitted to the government and motivated the request for a meeting with the guardianship, which has already been accepted, but the date has not yet been set.
Bruno Gonçalves explained that it was a symbolic manifesto, but it needed to be done, drawing attention to the fact that it was one of the first initiatives of its kind in the Romani community and that it shows that the Romani want to mark their own agenda.
According to the official, there are two clauses in the manifesto, expressing, on the one hand, “confusion due to lack of definition” as to which state body is responsible for resolving all issues related to the Roma communities, and on the other hand, the National Strategy for the Integration of Roma communities (ENICC), which ended in 2022 and the revision of which the government has already announced, will be implemented in the second half of 2023.
“We are not technical specialists, but based on our experience, we think that having a new strategy in the second half, in December, is very difficult to implement,” he noted, noting that the assessment of the previous strategy (2013-2013) 2022) has not started yet, for which there are still no specifications.
Taking into account the time required for these processes, Bruno Gonçalves is afraid to arrive on June 24, which is National Roma Day, with nothing.
“On the 24th, we want at least two things: to approve the regulation on the intercultural mediator, the regulation on the career, and that, in fact, on the 24th, if necessary, the evaluation and parallel development of the national strategy will begin. for communities,” he defended on behalf of nine associations.
He added that these demands will also be presented to the government at the scheduled meeting.
On the other hand, Bruno Gonçalves said that in a phone call he had on Monday with Secretary of State for Equality and Migration Isabel Rodriguez, he apologized for the successive changes to the state body that will be responsible for working with communities. gypsies.
According to the official, at meetings at the end of 2022 and already in January of this year, Deputy Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ana Catarina Mendez assured them that the High Commission for Migration (HCM) would not cease to exist. However, on March 14, the minister announced in parliament that the new Portuguese Agency for Migration and Asylum (APMA), created as part of the restructuring of the Foreigners and Borders Service (SEF), would absorb the ACM and retain its skills.
“Something external led to the failure of this promise,” he noted, adding that in early April, on the 5th, a new meeting was held with Secretary of State Isabel Rodriguez, who announced that issues related to the Roma will be considered by the Commission on Citizenship and Gender equality (CIG).
“What happened was that we didn’t move to the CIG because what happened 14 hours later was that we were included in the APMA along with the minorities. The question arises, what are minorities?” asks Bruno Gonçalves.
On this issue, nine associations write in a manifesto that they want clarification on the decision-making process, “because Portugal clearly does not assume that there are minorities on its territory.”
“Did the adoption of the term ‘minority’ contribute to the APMMA process?”
For Bruno Gonçalves, these successive changes show a lack of attention and again make the gypsies feel like poor relatives.
“We have been here for five centuries, and we are tired of these omissions,” he criticized.
However, he left a guarantee that these associations would not allow a reduction in investment after all the work done in recent years and various achievements, citing the OPRE program and more than 40 young gypsy degree holders as an example.
In addition to Associação Letras Nómadas, the Roma Women’s Association, Ribaltambição, Paths and Bridges, Silaba Dinâmica, Raízes Tolerantes, Associação Cigana de Coimbra, Costume Colossal and Agarrar signed the manifesto.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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