Empowering Roma Women: Ensuring Rights and Participation

Public Hearing on the situation of Roma women: ensuring their rights and active participation 14 November 2024 Atanas Stoyanov Directorate-General for Justice and Consumers Unit D2 European Commission

Seven interlinked objectives Reduce poverty and exclusion to close the socio-economic gap between Roma and the general population Promote participation through empowerment, cooperation and trust Fight and prevent antigypsyism and discrimination Improve Roma health and increase effective equal access to quality healthcare and social services Increase effective equal access to quality inclusive mainstream education Increase effective equal access to quality and sustainable employment Increase effective equal access to adequate desegregated housing and essential services

EU Roma Strategic Framework 2020-2030: Setting several EU- level targets to be achieved by the EU together with the Member States by 2030 Emphasizing the importance of empowering Roma women For example, reducing the gender employment gap between Roma men and Roma women by at least half

Elements Stronger focus on non-discrimination and equality, recognition of antigypsyism Recognition of diversity among Roma: women, youth, children, older Roma, LGBTIQ, EU mobile citizens, people living with disabilities, etc. Combining mainstreaming Roma inclusion across policies with targeted measures supporting equal access to rights and services Differentiated approach among Member States Monitoring and reporting

Examples of indicators and targets Policy area Indicator 2021 baseline 2030 headline target Share of children attending ECEC 44% at least 70% Education Upper secondary completion rate Share of children attending segregated schools Share of Roma in paid work Share of Roma women in paid work NEET rate Life expectancy gap (Roma women) Life expectancy gap (Roma men) 27% 52% 43% 28% 56% 11 years 9.1 years majority of Roma youth less than 20% at least 60% at least 45% less than 33% Employment Roma people live at least 5 years longer Health majority of Roma don t live in overcrowding at least 95% Roma living in overcrowded households 82% Housing Access to tap water inside the dwelling 78% 5

State of play and next steps A ten-year policy framework, recognising that tackling discrimination and exclusion requires long-term commitments Member States have set out their national measures in their national Roma strategic frameworks. Commission will publish its assessment of the national strategic frameworks in December 2022. Member States will report on implementation every two years from 2023. Commission will publish biennial implementation reports from 2024, based on Member States and civil society reporting and FRA surveys.

Examples of measures from Member States Austria: Empowerment of Roma women and girls as a priority of the National Roma Strategic Framework, including individual life, health and social counselling by Romnija for Romnija France: Inclusion of an indicator on the number of women supported through the SIBEL programme (integrated programme promoting access to housing and employment) Spain: Distinct section of the National Roma Strategic Framework focusing on gender equality and preventing violence against women, with related baseline and targets, horizontal gender dimension under the anti- discrimination, education, health, and employment objectives.

2024 report on the implementation of the national Roma strategic framework Examples highlighting promising initiatives targeting Roma women Hungary and healthcare primarily to Roma women Growing Opportunities provides training in social care Spain and labour inclusion for Roma women and combats multiple forms of discrimination Cal programme promotes equal opportunities and social Czechia Commissioner for Roma Minority Affairs to promote Roma inclusion has appointed a Roma woman as Government

Thank you very much for your attention!