Harvard conference brings Roma rights to light

The François-Xavier Bagnoud (FXB) Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard organized a conference on Monday, April 8, that brought to light many of the challenges facing the Roma in Europe. Panelists addressed issues of violence, discrimination, and segregation, and brought together scholars, practitioners, and advocates – many of whom were Roma themselves.

The FXB Center is leading an innovative research, advocacy, and capacity-building program centered on two of the most urgent concerns facing the Roma population in Europe today: promoting rights and opportunities of Roma children and adolescents, and confronting the escalating climate of anti-Roma violence and extremism. The April 8 conference contributes to these research and advocacy efforts to address these challenges and to build partnerships in support of Roma rights.

The conference, titled “Realizing Roma Rights: Addressing Violence, Discrimination & Segregation in Europe”Realizing Roma Rights,” partnered with the Mahindra Humanities Center and the Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies at Harvard, as well as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe – Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (OSCE/ODIHR), Contact Point for Roma and Sinti.