Turkey’s Roma continue to face problems with shelter, employment, education and health services, yet their largest hardship remains prejudices, according to several community activists.

“Discrimination [against the Roma] is a serious concern, which brings about other problems such as limited education and health services, shelter problems and unemployment,” Elmas Arus, a former chairwomen of the Zero Discrimination Association and a candidate nominee for the upcoming general elections, told the Hürriyet Daily News & Economic Review on Saturday.

Friday, April 8, is celebrated as International Roma Day, but many from the community face substantial problems in Turkey.

Roma people are generally unable to express their concerns to public authorities due to high rates of illiteracy, thus resulting in the perpetuation of problems, Arus said.

With some exceptions, “there is lots of prejudice against Roma in Turkey, and there is a general perception that the Roma are thieves and deal in [bad affairs],” Şükrü Pündük, chairman of the Sulukule Roma Culture Cultivation and Solidarity Association, told the Daily News on Thursday.

Roma and people of other identities must come together and learn more about each other, Pündük said.

Because of the sheer number of problems for the community, improving the group’s societal position is difficult, Arus said. “A Roma child does not go to school due to financial and health problems, as well as prejudices from within and outside of the community. All these problems would have to be addressed simultaneously.”

Women are generally prevented by their families from going to school even at an early age and remain more isolated in Turkish society compared to Roma men, Arus said. “A Roma girl is not allowed to go to school after fifth grade.”

Nobody speaks of Roma lawyers or doctors, Arus said, adding that families generally have “pre-defined” roles for their children within life. 

“We need a profile for Roma other than as people who sing, dance, entertain or sell flowers,” Arus said, adding that most Roma children also lack positive role models.

Media has fanned flames of discrimination

The Turkish media has always taken a discriminatory stance toward Roma people, said Arus.

“The media has fanned the flames of discrimination through its reporting,” she said, adding that articles detailing crimes “committed by the Roma” are published frequently and serve to perpetuate prejudices.

The press rarely investigates the issues thoroughly enough to determine the reasons certain Roma might commit crimes, Arus said, adding that they preferred to stay behind a “wall of fear” while poorly reflecting reality.

“A problem related to the Roma is a problem that concerns society as a whole,” she said, adding that all of Turkish society needs to contribute to generating solutions to Roma concerns.

Noting that very few non-Roma people are involved in the activities of roughly 130 Roma associations in Turkey, Arus said it was crucial for all people to be part of such associations. “This would help increase public awareness [of Roma concerns] and would provide Roma associations with experience they generally lack.”

Arus also said there was a risk of division and discriminatory attitudes among Roma people themselves in Turkey due to the presence of three distinct Gypsy groups in the country: The Roma, living in western Mediterranean provinces, the Lomari, living in the Black Sea and Central Anatolian regions, and the Domari, from Southeast Anatolia.

Individuals from these three groups occasionally refuse to cooperate with each other to address their common problems, said Arus. “I do not see the reason why, as we are all Roma.”

Roma initiative moving quickly

The Roma initiative, which was launched in Turkey in March 2010 to integrate Roma into Turkish society and address their concerns more effectively, has progressed at a quick pace, said Arus.

“There is still a lot to do, but we have at least made our voice heard. This is very important,” she said.

Pündük said, however, that the initiative had failed to develop projects and approaches for solutions to Roma’s problems.

“Roma people have raised their voice, but social and gentrification projects, [a must for improving the situation] have not been developed,” he said.

Roma people have been affected the most severely by Turkey’s urban transformation projects, Pündük said.

“Almost all houses demolished as part of different urban transformation projects belonged to Roma people,” he said, adding that many also lost their jobs after buildings were demolished in areas subject to gentrification.

While Turkey’s 3.5 million Roma live in difficult conditions, they are better off than many of their cultural brethren in Europe because the Turkish government has been more proactive about addressing their problems, Arus said.

“There is discrimination against Roma in Turkey, as with other communities, such as the Laz, the Kurds and the Alevis,” Pündük said.